Oliver Stone immortalizes John 3:16 - theAV4ever

Last w/e my wife and I sat through the movie "W." whose director described it as a three-act film. It started with George W. Bush as a young man "with a missed life". Then follows his transformation where he makes "an assertion of will which was amazingly powerful," with the aim of coming out from his father's shadow. Finally, there’s his invasion of Iraq. Says movie critic, Margaret Pomeranz, “Alternating between Bush’s deliberations post 9/11, in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, and his early life as a hard-drinking, poker-playing, oil-drilling young tearaway, the two lives seem incompatible."

Watching the film, all the while I was waiting and hoping to see W’s encounter with Billy Graham – which would explain the transformation - but it never appeared! What we do get is Stacey Keach, being a composite character called Earl Hudd, as Bush's pastor and spiritual advisor. Hudd solemnly quotes John 3:16 to him, in full KJV mode - as if that was the point of turn-around:

KJV John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Well, it could have been the turning point, but the reality is probably much closer to the following description:

Arthur Blessitt was "the Man who Carried the Cross Around the World," lugging a twelve-foot-long cross for Jesus through sixty countries all over the world. It became, according to the "Guinness Book of World Records," the longest walk in human history. Blessitt ‘delivered countless lost souls to Jesus,’ and one day in 1984 visited Bush’s hometown Midland TX. Bush’s encounter with Blessitt is told in Internet Salon:

“Baptized as an Episcopalian in Connecticut, Bush had been a regular churchgoer his entire life, but for the most part he had just been going through the motions. . . . But when Bush heard about [a friend’s] encounter with Blessitt, he was so interested that a meeting was arranged. So, on the afternoon of April 3, 1984, Blessitt and [another friend] went to the coffee shop in the local Holiday Inn. Bush had already arrived, and got straight to the point. "I didn't bring up the subject of Jesus," Blessitt recalled, "he did. That's his personality." "Arthur," Bush said, "I did not feel comfortable attending the meeting, but I want to talk to you about how to know Jesus Christ and how to follow Him." Stunned by Bush's directness, Blessitt silently prayed, "Oh Jesus put your words in my mouth and lead him to understand and be saved." Then he picked up the Bible and leaned forward. "What is your relationship with Jesus?" Blessitt asked. "I'm not sure," Bush replied. "Let me ask you this question. If you died this moment do you have the assurance you would go to heaven?" "No," Bush said. "Then let me explain to you how you can have that assurance and know for sure that you are saved." Bush: "I like that." Blessitt then quoted several verses on sin and salvation -- from Matthew, Romans, Mark, and John. "The call of Jesus is for us to repent and believe!" he explained. "The choice is like this. Would you rather live with Jesus in your life or live without Him?" "With Him," Bush replied. "Had you rather spend eternity with Jesus or without Him?" "With Jesus". Blessitt told Bush that Jesus wanted to write his name in the Book of Life, and extended his hand. "I want to pray with you now," he said. "I'd like that," Bush replied. He joined hands with Sale and Blessitt. Then, Blessitt prayed a variation on the Sinner's Prayer aloud, one phrase at a time, with Bush repeating after him:

Dear God, I believe in you and I need you in my life. Have mercy on me as a sinner. Lord Jesus, as best as I know how, I want to follow you. Cleanse me from my sins and come into my life as my Savior and Lord. I believe You lived without sin, died on the cross for my sins and arose again on the third day and have now ascended unto the Father. I love you Lord, take control of my life. I believe you hear my prayer. I welcome the Holy Spirit of God to lead me in Your way. I forgive everyone and ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit and give me love for all people. Lead me to care for the needs of others. Make my home in Heaven and write my name in Your book in Heaven. I accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and desire to be a true believer in and follower of Jesus. Thank you God for hearing my prayer. In Jesus' name I pray.

The three men smiled. "It was a happy and glorious time," said Blessitt. He explained to Bush exactly what had just happened. "Jesus has come to live within your heart," he told Bush. "Your sins are forgiven ... You are saved ... You have received eternal life ... You are now the Child of God ... The Holy Spirit abides within you ... You have become a new person." A friend was present during the entire discourse. He said, "You can never tell what goes on in a man's heart and soul". "But the question was asked and answered." George W. Bush had invited Christ into his life. "Why God chose to move in our president's heart at that time, I don't know," his friend said. "I'm just glad he did." "A good and powerful day," Blessit wrote in his diary. " Led Vice President Bush's son to Jesus today. George Bush Jr.! This is great! Glory to God."

Well then, how did Billy Graham get in on the act? The year following his conversion, Bush tells the story in "A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House." One evening at the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, Billy Graham - spiritual confidant to Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan and a close friend of the Bush family - sat down by the fireplace and gave a talk. "I don't remember the exact words," Bush wrote. "It was more the power of his example. The Lord was so clearly reflected in his gentle and loving demeanor." The next morning, Bush and Graham went for a walk along the rugged Maine shore . . . . "I knew I was in the presence of a great man ..." Bush wrote. "He was like a magnet; I felt drawn to seek something different. He didn't lecture or admonish; he shared warmth and concern. Billy Graham didn't make you feel guilty; he made you feel loved." "Over the course of that weekend, Reverend Graham planted a mustard seed in my soul, a seed that grew over the next year," he continued. "He led me to the path, and I began walking." Billy Graham himself said of this occasion "I've heard others say that [I converted Bush], and people have written it, but I cannot say that," Graham said. "I was with him and I used to teach the Bible at Kennebunkport to the Bush family when he was a younger man, but I never feel that I in any way turned his life around."

Mickey Herskowitz, a sportswriter for the Houston Chronicle - he became close friends with the Bush family and was originally contracted to ghost write "A Charge to Keep" - recalled interviewing Bush when he was doing research for the book. "I remember asking him about the famous meeting . . . " Herskowitz said. "And you know what? He couldn't remember a single word that passed between [him and Bush]." Herskowitz was so stunned by Bush's memory lapse that he began prompting him. . . . 'Well, Governor, would he have said something like, "Have you gotten right with God?'" According to Herskowitz, Bush was visibly taken aback and bristled at the suggestion. "No," Bush replied. "Billy Graham isn't going to ask you a question like that." Salon has the full story.

When "A Charge to Keep" was published Herskowitz was stunned to find the ghost-writing team had changed a key part. "It had Graham asking Bush, 'George, are you right with God?'" In other words, Herskowitz's question to Bush was now coming out of Billy Graham's mouth. He says: “It was picked off the tape."

Whichever, Salon concludes, “We see why the episode in Maine could not possibly have been the first time George Bush gave his soul to Christ. That's because Bush had already been born again, more than a year earlier, in April 1984 -- thanks to an evangelical preacher named Arthur Blessitt. “ And that fact HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS!! But, it does have everything to do with the Gospel in a nutshell: John 3:16.

Dr. Billy Graham chose the AV

The ABC ‘flagship’ religious program Compasslast Sunday marked the day as a religious milestone for Australia. Fifty (50) years ago American evangelist Billy Graham began his four month nationwide crusade down under, and took Australia by storm. The press called him God’s super-salesman. On just one occasion 143,000 people turned up at the MCG to hear him preach. In all, well over three million Australians made the journey. His visit triggered mass conversions. Tens of thousands came forward to ‘give their lives to Christ.’ His crusade reached many public leaders, both present and future. Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen was just one of them.

Why was Billy Graham’s message so well received? The historian Judith Smart said, “I was at the MCG - his speech was quite astonishing.” He spoke about the sinfulness of man that was threatening to engulf civilisation.

What was the secret of his success in preaching?

Was the secret of his success his clever use of advertising and publicity? No! Said Billy: “You don’t fill Madison Square Garden for four months with publicity. You might get them there the first week but that doesn’t keep them there. It must be something else.”

Was it the personal 1-1 appeal? “Dianne Boyd said: “He just had this way of putting things that you thought he was speaking to you alone. . . I forgot all the thousands of people that were there, and I just felt that he was speaking to me alone. Archbishop Peter Jensen said: “I think what Billy Graham exposed with his great Spirit-blessed preaching that day was, that I was not actually in a personal relationship with God, and I needed to do something about it. . . . And so, as I saw others go forward, with a step of courage which I didn’t think I had, I too stood and went forward. It was as clear-headed a decision as I ever made in my whole life. Roseanne Roelink said, “I didn’t hesitate when he asked us to step forward and to take Christ as our personal saviour. I just got up and remember I walked up the aisle, and, yeah, I just didn’t hesitate. I felt pretty special.”

Was it the clear way he expressed the Gospel? Dianne Boyd said: I felt like a light bulb had gone on in my head. I suddenly saw how it was. I suddenly saw, I suppose, redemption. I really did. I saw God’s grace. And it was a magic moment in my life. It was like this great wave. And I just felt like I was drawn on strings. I just had to go.”

But, there’s something more. You only have to listen to a video clip of those early preaching years of Billy to understand the true secret explanation – there was a unique ring of authority in his speech! Ten years or so before Melbourne, Billy faced a crisis in his life in conflict with a colleague, over the authority of the Bible. Could he use the words “The Bible says” to prove every point he made in the pulpit? Could he trust his Bible by quoting, for example a disputed text, like Luke 9:56: For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them? The colleague, Chuck Templeton, became an agnostic. Billy went from strength to strength. For him it was “theAV4ever.”

There’s a bronze tablet among a forest of trees, which marks the spot where Billy in 1948 wrestled with God, and guess who won? It reads: “To the praise of God for the life and ministry of Dr. Billy Graham, who had a life-changing encounter with God here at Forest Home when, as a young preacher, he knelt with the Bible in his hands and promised God he would “take the Bible by faith and preach it without reservation.” From that time his preaching was marked by a new and God-given authority. Preaching the scriptures in the power of the Holy Spirit, he has seen multiplied thousands turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith (Heb. 4:12). This tablet was placed here on April 9, 1967, when Dr Graham preached by this lakeside.”

So, here is the 20th century preacher striding the modern world with an ‘out-of-date’ translation, the AV – complete with its ‘archaisms’ – declaring through the decades to 2.2 billion people an authoritative word. But, tell me, in all seriousness, would he have authoritatively asserted, “the Bible says,” if he had chosen instead to use the ERV (1885), or the ASV (1901), or the RSV (1952), or the NIV (1984). After all, he had those choices - all of them! But, he chose to continue with the AV, still believing, despite the ‘assured results’ of modern scholarship, it is the most accurate and dependable translation of them all. God honoured that trust!

Graham has preached in person to more people around the world than any Protestant who has ever lived. According to his staff, as of 1993, more than 2.5 million people had "stepped forward at his crusades to accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour". As of 2008, Graham's lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion. As far as he was concerned it was theAV4ever.

Apology to the stolen generations

It’s one year on since (February 13th, 2008) PM Kevin Rudd said “sorry” on behalf of Australia for the many half-caste kids taken under protest from their mother’s arms. They were placed in white care between the 100 years 1870 – 1970. Saying "sorry" was a controversial thing to do, but many an Aborigine still says, ‘I don’t know why they feel they had to do that to us.”

Margaret Somerville cared for removed part-Aboriginal children for 24 years in the Methodist missionary home on Croker Island, Northern Territory. She said: “I don't feel I have to apologise for what happened to the children, or for my part in it, because I gave the very best that I could. I would apologise to the mothers that had to lose the babies and to any part-Aboriginal child who was worse off through being taken. But the ones I knew were not worse off. Arthur Marshall and his wife Lydia were also Methodist missionaries. In Darwin they feel the anguish of being misunderstood. “We did it in good faith and with the most genuine integrity, that what we were doing was the right thing.” A reporter asked them: “Do you still think it was the right thing to do?” Arthur: “From my thinking now, no I don't think it was. But we are all men and women of our time, and I believe it's wrong to criticise what was done 40 to 50 years ago. Decisions today will probably be found not so good in another 50 or 100 years.” Certainly, the policies of forced removal and assimilation were a product of the times.

Among the many reasons for “breeding out” the colour from a half-caste, says Sharman Stone, “was actually Darwin's theory of evolution . . . . The widespread belief in Darwin among government officials also led to mixed-race children being placed in foster homes, Christian schools and government institutions, because the mixed-race children were considered "more evolved" than their full-blooded parent.” Truth is, it was the secular scientist and government officials who promoted racist policies against Aborigines, not Christianity. Some aboriginal parents wanted their children to be placed in schools separate from their tribes, to give the children a better chance of improving their lot in life. But the pain of separate developmentis undeniably real, for the many who have inherited two different cultures at birth, and is still with them.

The biblical truth that all humans descend from a single ancestor is emphasized in the traditional text of Acts 17: 24 – 26, God that made the world and all things therein . . . hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.

By adding “one blood” the Bible makes it clear that we all have Adam’s blood running in our veins, and no one is to be disrespected because their physical features may suggest, but only to some, that their DNA is different from the rest of humankind.

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A Saviour not a Judge

On Feb. 10th. The headlines said it all:

“DOZENS of people are missing, presumed dead, amid a warning that the Victorian bushfire toll could exceed 300, with up to 100 of the dead coming from one town. And as the official death toll continued to climb it was reported looters were stalking the blackened shells of the towns hit.”

Meanwhile Danny Nalliah, a Pentecostal pastor, recalled a dream he had at the time he was opposing Victoria’s newly passed abortion legislation last year. "In my dream I saw fire everywhere with flames burning very high and uncontrollably," Mr Nalliah said. He claimed. the Victorian bushfires were divine retribution for the state's abortion laws, and that God's "conditional protection" had been "removed from the nation of Australia, particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb".

Now, how is that helpful to the grieving scarred relatives of so many victims who have lost everything? Are the feelings of the grieving and breathing lives outside the womb less important than the feelings of those inside? Victims are perhaps asking if God is a God of love, or whether He cares that they even exist! No wonder that Peter Costello, one-time PM-elect, furiously rounded on such insensitivity, saying, "To link the death and the suffering of bushfire victims to other political events is appalling, heartless and wrong. . . . Those who have suffered deserve every support and sympathy. It is beyond the bounds of decency to try to make moral or political points out of such a

tragedy.

Is it right for the Christian to appeal to the Old Testament, in claims of divine retribution, and in the spirit of, say, Amos 1:3 "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad."

Hang on a minute! Amos was addressing a people specially chosen to receive the oracles of God (Rom. 3:2). They were in covenant with God, and had an ethnic identity. They had all been baptised into Moses and the Red Sea (1 Cor 10:1-2). In contrast, Australia is a multi-cultural nation made up of many people without even a passing acquaintance with the Bible, and so many of our countrymen have no clue what God is like. How can we possibly teach the biblical doctrine of collective guilt, just like that, without first introducing basic truths which support it, like - Adam’s guilt was real when he disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. [Wow! We’re up against it .already, if David Attenborough is listening!]. Adam, a real historical individual brought death on the entire race - every man, woman, boy and girl.

Paul explains why little children died before they knew their right hand from their left. The basic premise is that no one is innocent before God, not even ‘innocent children.’ The Apostle Paul teaches that “death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam . . . “ (Rom 5:14) Paul is teaching here the only way to explain why death is universal, is to realise that the guilt of what Adam did was reckoned upon all his descendants. (Rom 5:19) Children also die, but death is God’s punishment for sin. It means that just as God held adults responsible for what Adam did from the time of creation to the giving of the Ten Commandments, so He also held their children guilty of what their parents did. If challenged on this, Paul would doubtless have said, ‘Tell me why, then, death was 'unfairly' meted out on the children?’ The rest of the Bible proceeds on the presumption of collective guilt.

Yes, but Jesus said, “ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:7) God raised him from the dead, that He might be a Saviour at this present time, not a judge. "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. (John 12: 47)

So, rather than condemning the bushfire victims or their relatives, we should be reaching out to show them the way home.

AV and Hell 4ever

Today marks the greatest natural disaster in Australia's history with 130 people confirmed dead in ferocious bushfires that ripped through Victoria at the weekend. At least 750 homes were destroyed in the fires and more than 330,000 hectares burnt out. Authorities say some fires could take weeks to contain, and warn that the number of fatalities is likely to rise even further.
A young lass, Kinchy, blogged away on the day, placing a tribute . . .

". . . to those who tried to flee but were unlucky enough to . . be caught in the flames themselves; to the residents of Marysville who not only lost everything they own, but their whole town to the horrific fires. And lastly but CERTAINLY not least, to those who lit the fires in question, may you burn slowly in the holocaust you created forever in the depths of hell.”

Kinchy justified her extreme remarks by explaining that when she was younger (2006) they almost lost, not only the whole town of Junee through fire (thanks to someone throwing a cigarette out the window), but almost their lives.

Forensic investigators have begun work, suspecting that arson was involved. A clearly shaken Kevin Rudd told the Nine Network that if firebugs lit some of the bushfires then they are responsible for "mass murder". “What do you say about anyone like that? — there are no words to describe it, other than mass murder. The nation should brace itself for a very challenging time ahead."

The deep feeling created by such outrageous behaviour helps to explain the words of Jesus in Mark 9, where he says: 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (KJV)

Notice just how many times the Received Text of Scripture repeats these words in the Markan passage. The point is: we are very reluctant to take such words seriously, and need to be able to reflect on them: “Did Jesus really say that? – read it to me again!” Yet some would rather use the word “hell” as a mere throw-away swear word. So wrong! For if we take any of the words of Jesus seriously in the Gospels, these should not be left out, nor doubted. Hell is real, especially for the arsonist, who seems to love watching people’s homes burn down, yet knowing some inside will for ever be scarred by fire!!

Oval Office slang

It was Thursday Feb 5th. I couldn’t avoid locking my eyes on to the plasma screen in the transit lounge of Singapore airport, whilst waiting around for the flight connection to Sydney, en route from London. The already familiar picture overhead was Barack Obama, with his Cabinet nominee Tom Daschle at his shoulder. The text headline provided for the viewer quoted Obama as saying, “I’ve screwed up.” That sounds pretty lurid, I thought, after so short a time in office. What’s behind it?

Barack Obama vowed to usher in a new era of politics in Washington free of scandal and patronage. But, he then tried to confirm a Cabinet colleague, Tom Daschle, to become a member of his Cabinet, even though Daschle had admitted to evading $140,000 in taxes. The ensuing outrage from political opponents forced Obama to try to match rhetoric with reality by admitting failure. He said, “It was a mistake, which I intend to fix . . . to make sure we’re not screwing up again.”

Whilst Obama worthily admitted making a mistake of judgement, the slang “screwed up” is interesting. There’s a double f* analogy, which relates to freedom and fornication - the gaoler and the gender. The prison warder of old times punished an inmate by turning the screw in a box with a handle, which the prisoner had to revolve 10,000 times in a working day – the tighter the screw, the more difficult the turn. The warder is also called “the screw” because he holds the key (French: ecrouer) to the cell, and can turn it whichever way. Obama presumably referred, then, to a potential for self-punishment whilst executing the Presidential office. A little early for that, don’t you think? Or, was the use of “screw up” a sexual reference, celebrating those foolhardy relationships which end in calamity for either or both? Again, an inappropriate analogy, when remembering Obama’s beautiful wife, Michelle, and his loving daughters.

Well, anyway, what’s a rhetorician to do, when besieged on all sides with impossible problems to fix? Where will he find some help in grasping the appropriate phrase in the heat of the moment? Obama himself witnessed to the answer, when taking the oath of office on the Holy Bible. That set me thinking - is there a biblical phrase which would have said it better? Yes, there is! King Saul (in 1 Samuel 26:21) realises he’s been unreasonable in pursuing his rival David, and admits to him, “I have played the fool; I have erred exceedingly.”

So, let’s rewind the tape, and say it better: “It was a mistake, which I intend to fix . . . to make sure we’re not playing the fool again.” Thank you, Mr President – now I understand what I hope you meant! And you have used the Holy Bible to help restore the dignity of the Oval office.

TheAV4ever - easy on the memory.

We can too often neglect the practical purpose and effect of Scripture. George Verwer, founder of OM, used to say: “It’s not so much our need to get into the Word, but we need God’s Word to get into us.” If we take the trouble to memorise, we will find ourselves meditating on it in spare moments. And, if we meditate, we will find it easier to pray in spare moments also.

Store God’s Word in your heart and it will come to the surface at strategic moments.

Recently my little grandson Rufus was born in St. Mary's hospital, Paddington. His West-Aussie mother graciously allowed me to cradle him in my arms. "May I offer a prayer of thanks to God?” I asked. Both parents agreed it was OK. "Thank you Father, for this new life! 'The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.' May this child grow up to be a mighty force for good, through all the difficulties and pressures of life, for Jesus Christ's sake, Amen."

It was easy for me to recall Psalm 37:23, which I quoted while praying. Notice some features of this verse which for me, made it ‘AV4ever’ – easy on the memory. First, the verse has metre, which gets under the skin and into the subconscious. The metrical sequence of syllables is 12 (line 1), 8 (line 2), 12 (line 3) and 10 (line 4). Do the maths, and you’ll understand. All the numbers are divisible by two (2), and most of them are divisible by four (4). It’s as easy as singing to a 2/4 or a 4/4 time signature. Once learn the groove and it’s hard to unlearn it. Second, it has assonance and consonance, a pleasing harmony of sound. The same dental letters are stressed throughout – note the t and the d: steps, good, ordered, LORD, delighteth, not, utterly, cast down, upholdeth, and hand. The mind loves to put things tidily together if they belong together, not least in the way we use words.

The translators of the KJV lovingly crafted each word and each letter, so their work would be ‘theAV4ever.’ They deliberately made it memorable, so the words would stick like burrs in the minds of the illiterate - of which there were many! The Scottish Psalter later made it singable in metrical form online in the daily Quiet Time.

“Thy Word have I hid in my heart,” the Psalmist said, “that I might not sin against Thee.” (Psalm 119: 11). Whether we are old or young, we are wise if we follow his example. No doubt Jesus enjoyed memorising Scripture - even if, strictly speaking and unlike us, he didn’t always need to do that -He had a unique resource!

The AV derailed?

This is a day to remember because on this day:

Guy Fawkes in 1605 was executed for a crime which almost changed the course of English history. Also, would the Authorised version (AV) have seen the light of day? Fawkes was in charge of executing a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament while King James 1and his government were inside. The King was the power behind the AV. Fawkes’ impressive military and explosives experience put him in the front line. But, authorities foiled the plot shortly before its final execution, and the conspirators were hanged.

Was this a terrorist attack a la 9/11? No, says Robert Wilde. Terrorism is a violent attack on either random or symbolic targets, designed to terrorise the population and its government into accepting change. The Gunpowder plotters were planning on a change, but they weren't using terror to do it. The aim was to re move the king and government in one stroke by destroying them in an explosion, then make one of the remaining royal children monarch and create a new Catholic government around the puppet crown. This was not a campaign of violence or an attempt to force concessions through fear but a full scale coup.

As King James initiated the new translation would the success of the plot have derailed the publication of the AV Bible? Probably not, because the King commissioned its production one year before the attempt to kill him, in January 1604. The project may well have taken longer than the six years it actually needed, but the very real desire for an AV ensured it would have stayed on track.