PULLED OUT OF THE PIT CHAPTERS 4-4A Chapter 4 ST TRINIANS WITH BOVVER BOOTS ISAIAH 53 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. The St trinnian films of the 1950's tell the story of a girls school, that was completely out of control and caused mayhem, wherever it went. Skerton School looked ok from the outside, the drive had beautiful apple blossom trees either side of it, it had hundreds of little cherubs running about, but scratch below the surface and you would scream. The teachers were legends, these included Charlie Emmett, boys were sent to him, if they had done wrong, and he brought their bum in close proximity with a T-square, Our music teacher Sweaty Betty Willson, who used our lesson to give us a lecture on the state of the world, Ms Pallister our young French teacher and Mr Curnow our RE teacher, who met and married at school, Mr Waterhouse my history Teacher who did train impressions and MY Form teachers Mrs Warrington and Mr Scott. School uniform was augmented by bovver boots and associated items, indeed anything that could cause grievous bodily harm, this was the 1970's, could you imagine, having students change sex or calling themselves homosexual, at Skerton, they would of been killed, although some of the girls did look a bit like men, again no names, but your name begins with S. All those teachers did their very best under the most trying circumstances, we were a right bunch. But Keith was the school clown, he used to drive teachers and schoolmates mad with his antics, he was an attention seeker, desperately trying to grab people's attention. Some of the stories about school trips are the stuff of legend, to fire extinguishers being set off on the Mersey ferry to buses getting stuck on Formby sands. On other trips small swords were stolen in Keswick and items stolen from a small shop in Grasmere, the owner of the shop came onto the bus to identify the culprit, but couldn't as most boys had their heads under coats or under seats.. but we all who the culprit was. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Grasmere was the location, were a group of students visiting and staying at the youth hostel, were locked out, so the smallest was ordered to shimmy up the drainpipe to climb through the open window and open the door. Keith was placed in the lowest stream in 4th year, he ended up doing woodwork and metalwork, PE and no academic studies, my father fought to get me into an academic class, finally after missing two terms, he was moved into class 4S, but he still continues to act the clown. We had to leave our bags outside our classroom, at lunchtime, ours was the art classroom, there was a little ledge just above the door, and how can I put this, some person, took great pleasure of lobbing my satchel onto this ledge, so at 1pm, everyone was kept waiting as Keith was running about retrieving his satchel, again we know the culprit. He still lives in Morecambe.. don't you? The school had many famous landmarks, which included the toilets near our classroom, which was the only toilets with a chimney as this was the place for smoking. You know when a new pope is elected, white smoke comes out of the chimney, well it is was like that in the toilets, white smoke would be seen streaming out of the windows, as students were trying to in their words.. have a drag. The school was definitely not very PC or woke, it was a throwback to a bygone age, but it was truly the best days of our lives. Not only was there a place for smoking, there were places for snogging also, behind the bike sheds and the brass band room, were the best places, so I am reliably informed by a person, who spent lots of time in both places, indeed the bike sheds have been moved to Altrincham town centre as a souvenir. or a memorial, I don't know which. Lunchtime was time for football in the playground, but it was not long before you heard the sound of FIGHT, and the sound of teachers running and saying, you two clowns get to Mr Emmett. Skerton is now demolished, it is now a housing complex with flats, but it was for us a deep memory imprinted on our minds, life revolved around school, next time I return to the UK, we will have a school reunion with Russ, Wilf, Bruno, Gary and of course the legendary Sheri. Other memorable occasions include the sports day, where Keith decided to do the hurdles and fell over the first one, creating the biggest laugh ever. We played sports, we had to choose teams, in football, I was never chosen first, always last, the choice came down to me or a lamp post the lamp post was usually chosen first. At school, Keith did finally buckle down, he got Grade 1 in both History and Geography and Grade 3 in English Language and Literature, he got the prize for History, well they had to give someone else a prize, the rest went to a certain genius from Mount Avenue, including the snogging prize. Lifelong friendships have happened through school, my dear friend David Hobbs is still a great friend to me and my dearly beloved Andrew, who I can never thank enough. Years later Mr Waterhouse and Mr and Mrs Curnow, came to my church, what a joy to know we will meet again. One last story, our head girl in year 5 was a girl called Diane Stephenson, she was a vivacious girl with a very quiet friend called Deborah Ormerod, they were in my class and they were inseparable. Diane especially used to come and talk to me, she was a really nice person. I remember our last class on Friday afternoon was Geography, one Friday I looked across to Diane's table, the boys were gathered around the table, she had them eating out of her hand, she had her whole future in front of her. Coming in on the following Monday morning, we had our headmaster and other senior teachers in our classroom. On that Friday night, the two girls had gone out with their seventeen to eighteen old boyfriends in a car, coming down the hill in their home village, the car lost control and crashed into a wall, both passengers who had no seat belts, were killed instantly, the two back seat passengers were seriously injured. Diane was killed that night, Deborah was seriously injured. I will always remember looking at them both on that Friday night, hours later, she was dead. Life is so fragile, this has always stuck in my mind. In Keith's last term at Skerton, something happened to Keith, but more of that in our next chapter. Devotional thought As youngsters, we go on our merry way, we laugh and cry together, school for us was not an academic lesson is was about survival. I remember in RE class, Mr Curnow saying Jesus is the answer, I just mocked him. I wish I had listened, because he is truly the answer. I didn't want to go to Skerton, but it was the place, where God had placed Andrew. Mr Scott our form master had said to Andrew " your wasting your time with Keith, he's beyond hope". There are two wonderful words at the start of Ephesians 2: BUT GOD 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) No one is beyond the grace and mercy of God, I am a living testimony to this fact. CHAPTER 4A SILENT KILLER Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. I am writing this to be able to relate to the many people, who have suffered from bullying both in the home and at school. Many people suffer from bullying at school and it can scar them for life, it remains an itch that you can't scratch. My bullying story started at friends school, I met a boy there who was a year older than me and he took it upon himself to bully me, verbally and physically. Now the first thing I would say is that, I deserved at least some of it, as I did irritate people, but that is not the whole story, although I did cause some of it by my actions, that does that mean that any bullying is acceptable. Later on at Skerton, this bullying got worse, the more I was bullied the more angry I became. I remember years later meeting a girl in our class online and the first thing she said was " you were the one they bullied", that was her impression of me. Into adult life and in my first marriage, this bullying has persisted, again some of it is my fault, but not entirely. So how do you deal with it, let me share what I have learned, as getting over the pain is not easy. Devotional thought Having a deep and meaningful relationship with God is essential as this is the first step to healing, bullying is usually done in the shadows, no one else knows about it, except you and the bully. Having this relationship with God allows you to heal, he is the great healer, because when you come to him, you come as a child and become his son or daughter and you are loved. Also you are able to pray and forgive the person who has bullied you in the past or maybe who is doing it now. The verse at the top should give anyone who has experienced bullying, real hope. The Lord sees everything, he has seen every word spoken against you and will hold that person accountable. Another thing to do, is that if you are going through bullying, you must not render evil for evil, that is not the way to go. The cycle must be broken and one of the ways to do is to tell people you trust that bullying is going on, it may be a pastor, close friend or parent/extended family member. Remember what I said earlier, in my case, I deserved a little bullying, but not the indiscriminate anger of another person, that is NOT RIGHT AND IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE. Even joking is not acceptable, I got lots of nicknames at school, we indeed gave nicknames to some of our teachers, indeed I was not nice on several occasions to my teachers. I write to give hope to people, I write because I have been where you are and now I rest secure in God's love, knowing that nothing can ever hurt me, no verbal or physical abuse. I finish with the words of Romans 8, may they be as amazing to you as they are to me. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

pulled out of the pit chapters 2 and 3 PSALM 139 139 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. Soaking wet at the seaside I arrived in Morecambe in 1964, it was a seaside town that was trying to restore its former glories, it was best known for the famous comedian Eric Morecambe, part of the famous double act Morecambe and Wise. When I arrived it had two piers, two theatres, the aquatic centre Marineland and a pleasure park, all of them are gone now. So we settled in at Whitelow house, a four floor nursing home situated in the Bare area of the town, it was next-door to a church, which myself and my parents never went to. The best thing was that there was a large garden at the back with apple and pear trees and a greenhouse, where my dad grew tomatoes and cucumber. The house had a lift and Keith spent many hours going up and down in it, no one could ever get into the lift, because it was always in use! We lived right on the promenade, which stretched for up to six miles and had the best views across to the Lake district hills, the sunsets were amazing and they are my fondest memory of Morecambe. The sea came over the road in front of the house on a regular basis and flooded many houses on the sea front, our home was largely unaffected until the great storm of 1977, totally flooded the home, well it flooded the entire lift shaft, this happened on a Friday night and subsequent days leaving the sea wall broken. Now there are sea barrages of stones that stop such things happening again. On many days I used to walk down to the centre of Morecambe and came back along the sea front, when the tide was coming in, I used to stand at the edge of the railings and when a big wave came in and hit the wall, I ran away from the edge, sometimes I got wet and sometimes I didn't, but I used to come back smelling of seaweed and spray, much to my parents dismay. We didn't have much sand on the beach, mostly it was pebbles, but we did have a paddling pool, where we could catch crabs, we got a stick and got some bait and put the bait on a piece of string, and the crabs were caught. I remember seeing a really big crab and reached down into the pool and yes you've guessed it, I fell headlong into it. As I've said Morecambe had two piers and many amusement arcades, filled with things like penny falls and one armed bandits, sad to say some of my pocket money was spent on these things and also at my favourite sweet shop. My parents loved their work, I was loved, but work took precedent over me, I became very unhappy, due to my speech problems and bullying at school, some of which was my fault, but more on that later. Every Christmas I got the latest craze, whether Action man or racing cars, but no time from my parents, a burning anger was starting to flicker. My parents to be honest spoilt me, they sent me to private school, they got me membership of the local golf club and they got me horse riding lessons, something I really enjoyed, we galloped over the sands, until one day, I got off my horse, opposite the nursing home and slipped getting off, the horse was spooked and one of its hooves landed on my head, causing a deep cut. I have never sat on a horse since. From ages 8-10, this was one of three occasions, where i fell and smashed my head open, once I was tripped up whilst running at school and went head first into a radiator, and the second time I fell head first into a bench, don't ask me how. My parents took me on holiday, Scotland, cruises were all good and I give thanks that they gave me everything they could, I have no anger against them. I give thanks for them and remember both of them with love. THANKS ERIC AND RITA. I remember one morning especially, I was asleep the night staff were knocking on the door, it must of been 5 am, come quickly they shouted to my dad, he rushed out, one of the male residents had ended his life by tying a plastic bag round his head and suffocating himself, all these things affect a young mind. One of things Mum loved was her music, we had a radiogram with a record player, and lots of classical music vinyl records, I used to love playing them, mum also was a great reader, books were everywhere, including a picture bible, I read its pages, not understanding what it meant. Now I have come to love the book. Devotional thought Many people think that honouring their parents as outlined in the ten commandments applies only to the lifetime of them, but it doesn't. After we lose our parents, we are still to honour them by our actions and our words even after they die. Many children carry resentment to their parents and this is not the way to go, blaming your parents for your problems is something I did for many years and it leads to a dead end, the best way to remember your parents is to be thankful for all they gave you and all they did for you. This is the best way to honour your father and mother. Jesus honoured his Father and Mother, so should we, in life and in death. Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. chapter 3 ON A GREEN HILL FAR AWAY 1 TIMOTHY 1 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. I ended the last chapter, by saying that sometimes I read the bible at home, but did not understand it. I continued to live in the nursing home with my parents, but my isolation was becoming worse and worse, everything thought it was because of my stammer, because of my environment, but it was because of my sin. I was becoming a rebel, a thief, if anything was available, you could be sure, Keith would nick it. Biscuits, cheese, cakes etc were my main targets, but also money became an idol, my dad has a big jar filled with 5p and 1p coins, the trouble was it never increased and you can guess why, however much he put in it. My parents sent me to church, the methodist church near our house, this didn't stop this little artful dodger. These are things that I am ashamed of, they are put here, so say that Keith is the chief of sinners. He went to Sunday school and church under duress, he heard the hymn below and thought he was ok 1 There is a green hill far away, outside a city wall, where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.2 We may not know, we cannot tell what pains He had to bear, but we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.3 He died that we might be forgiven, He died to make us good, that we might go at last to heaven, saved by His precious blood. So I continued to go to church, I was ok, after all Jesus had died and I would go straight to heaven, after all wasn't God a God of love? Life went on, I carried on as normal, my childhood was pretty unhappy, my parents had sent me to the private Friends school in Lancaster, this is where the bullying really took hold, but although I was clever, I wanted everything done for me. My eyes became bad and I had to wear strong glasses, which gained me the nickname of Joe 90, after a famous TV cartoon character, life was spiralling out of control and was about to get worse, as the school I was moved to, was like a madhouse, it was the infamous Skerton County Secondary School, full of some of the toughest boys and girls on the planet, but also where my redemption started, but more on that in the next exciting Chapter. Also at this school, I made two lifelong friends, David and Andrew my dear brother in Christ, who have both been pivotal in my life. Devotional thought Ever thought that living in a Christian country or being brought up in a Christian home makes you a Christian? Well it doesn't. So many people trust in their environment, we live in a Christian country after all, we even go to church at Christmas and Easter, aren't we ok? I remember going to Sunday school, the only reason was to get sweets and prizes for going. I have mentioned the picture bible, I used to read, I didn't understand it, who was this Jesus anyway? And why didn't my parents read it? My mother used to say a prayer with me Gentle Jesus meek and mild Look upon a little chid Bless mummy and daddy The trouble was that I was never told, he could be MY SAVIOUR AND MY REDEEMER So have you made it personal. He desires a personal relationship with you. Further on in this book, we will see this miracle happen to Keith.

pulled out of the pit my story of faith DEDICATION AND INTRODUCTION Dedicated to the ones I love My precious Saviour and Lord Jesus, who has pulled me out of the pit My Precious wife Helen, who love, care and prayers bless me each every moment of every day My precious Daughter Sherry, who is the cherry on top of my cake, you are my angel My beloved son in law Peter, who is such a blessing to me To my beloved Chinese brothers and sisters, you are an inspiration Thanks to the following dear friends, who have blessed my life I have sat under several very anointed Pastors, such as David Green, Richard Scholes, Mark Johnstone and Zanmei, you have moulded my life through your preaching. To Victor, Andrew, Kevin and Mike, who were instrumental in bringing me to faith and growing me in faith. Thanks also to my late Parents, Eric and Rita and my dear Brother Peter, you are loved, remembered and treasured every day. To my special and dear friend Ash, who has kindly translated this document Introduction Every one has a bucket list, things they want to do, before they kick the bucket! One of the things I Have always wanted to do is to write my life story. So why should you read this book? It is the story of my life, telling it in my own words, experiences I've had and people I've met Told with humour, honesty and a twinkle in my eye. This book tells the story of an ordinary person, who has the one true God as his Saviour, Guide, Redeemer and Best friend. This is not Keith's story, but God's story. It is the story of God's power to change one person's heart. I hope you will enjoy the stories, the good and bad experiences, I have been through, may these words bring glory to God and lead you to the one true Saviour Jesus Christ. PART 1 Chapter 1 PSALM 139 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! In the sound of Music, Julie Andrews sang " Let's start at very beginning, a very good place to start". Keith came into the world on the 5th March 1959, born at home at 247 Cooper lane in Bradford Yorkshire UK. He was the third son of Eric and Rita Hobkirk, he had two brothers, Philip and Peter, he was closest to his middle brother Peter, who sadly died in 2017. My parents were hard working people, they tried to do the best for this very small person, who was quiet all day but screamed at night. Later, I found out that I was only born, because my mother had a miscarriage of a baby girl, my father wanted a girl, but he got me, much later I was told that I was not really wanted. Has this been your experience? Maybe you have been told, that you were unwanted or have been abandoned by your parents. But you aren't. You aren't a mistake. God saw you, he knew you even before you were born. His love is more than any human mother and father. I do not hold any bitterness towards my parents, they did their very best for me, but it was and is the true love from God and of course my dear family, that has transformed my life. I can't remember much about my early life, the first memorable event, was me moving to Morecambe, where my parents were to take over the operation of the retirement home run by Bradford council. Before I left for Morecambe, I had an eye operation to correct a squint in my left eye, all through my life I have needed to wear glasses. So at age 5, I was moved to the sunny seaside town of Morecambe, life was about to change in a big way. So off to Morecambe we went, a whole new adventure. Devotional Thought People today are seeking for value, one of the major causes of suicide is that people lack value. Some of you who are reading this, feel unwanted or even deserted by their parents, some of you were born in very dubious circumstances, maybe you were the results of rape or sexual assault. Whatever you situation, however and wherever you were born, God was there, he saw everything. As I said earlier, you are not a mistake, I was told that I wasn't wanted, yes I was loved, but not wanted. Only when you come to Christ, can you find your real value, only in Christ, can you find the true love of God the father and be filled with the pure indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Verses to Ponder Ephesians 1:3-14 Jeremiah 29:11-13

Understanding is the issue of the heart. It goes beyond the mind. ✓ We must perceive with our hearts before action.

Thank you for including my daily devotion in your day… Remember: “𝘈 𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺.” 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐎𝐃

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The world today is overwhelmed by evil murder, crime, and violence everywhere. This darkness begins in the heart, as Jeremiah 17:9 reveals that the heart is deceitful. Matthew 15:19 shows that evil actions flow from within. These are signs of the last days described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Yet, there is hope God promises a new heart in Ezekiel 36:26. We must guard our hearts as Proverbs 4:23 teaches and overcome evil with good according to Romans 12:21. Transformation begins within.

People who hear God never get lost. * Abraham didn't have a direction to the where he was told to go. It's the lord who ordered his steps since God orders the steps of the righteous man.

Thank you for including my daily devotion in your day… Remember: “𝘈 𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺.” 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐎𝐃

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✨THE VALUE OF YOUR LIFE IS PRECIOUS TO GOD! HE CONSIDERS YOUR DEATH TOO COSTLY TO ALLOW PREMATURELY! THINK DEEPLY ABOUT THAT! 📖 A DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR 13TH APRIL 2026. HAPPY READING AND SHARING. 💖💖💖 BLESSINGS..! https://www.istandinthegap.com/value-of-your-life-devotional-psalm-116-15/