ANNAN, SCOTLAND (ANS) -- I was very pleased when I received permission from legendary Hollywood actress, Ms. Rhonda Fleming, to include her inspired poem “God Make My Life More Worthy” in the third edition of my anthology “Expressions of Love” that The Lord inspired me to write.

Rhonda Fleming with her husband, Darol Wayne Carlson, at a Media Fellowship International event in Beverly Hills (Photo: Dan Wooding)

I discovered her poem on a website and asked her if she would allow me to publish it. She told me that she had written it when she was a teenager and it was one of some that came out all at once. I told her that the same thing had happened to me in 1977 – it was an amazing coincidence for both of us that suddenly The Lord had revealed the hidden talents He had given to us.

“Expressions of Love” originates from those poems that The Lord had given me whilst I was on vacation in Lynmouth, Devon, England. I published them in 1977 in a little booklet called “The Sea and other poems.” They raised some money to help a Christian international youth hostel in London.

Front cover

Those poems have been revised with The Lord’s guidance and new ones added plus Scripture verses to complement them for this new edition. There are full color photographs that I have taken throughout except for a black and white one that accompanies the poem “The Sea” which was the first poem The Lord gave me. The remaining photographs, except for three, are ones that I have taken in various places.

The three exceptions are a photograph of a camel train [photographer unknown], one of myself taken by Steve Matthew, Staff Photographer of ‘The Annandale Observer’ and a very special photograph of Ms. Fleming that she kindly sent to me for inclusion in the book from her personal archive and for which I am very grateful.

70% of the proceeds from the sale of each of the books are going to provide for disadvantaged children in the Middle East via a reputable Christian charity – further details on request. The RRP for each book is: $25 for the USA Version ISBN 978 1 898936 67 1 and £16.25 for the UK Version ISBN 978 1 898936 71 8; both of which include shipping costs. They can be obtained via Amazon or any bookshop or direct from Halleluyah House Publishing c/o info@steadfastministries.co.uk 

Please email Halleluyah House for details and also please note that if ordering direct from there more of the proceeds will go to help the children and shipping costs are reduced for more than one copy.

To learn more about Ms. Rhonda Fleming’s distinguished Hollywood career and subsequent accomplishments, please listen to a recent interview with her at: www.talkaboutllasvegas.com/?p=109 and also visit her website at: www.rhondafleming.com 

Claire Ollerton is a retired teacher. She is also a publisher, author and composer of books and music for all ages and currently resides in Dumfriesshire, SW Scotland. She has a B.Ed. Hons degree and Cert.Ed in Education from the University of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. She also has LLCM [TD} and ALCM Diplomas for the teaching of Dramatic Arts from The London College of Music. She worked in a variety of educational establishments in Lancashire as a teacher and also did some local reporting for “The Lancashire Evening Post.” She is the author of 72 books which include 2 songbooks dedicated to Ms. Fleming as well as the inspired poetry book; the others cover a variety of subjects with a Christian bias. Some years ago, whilst in Lancashire she was interviewed by BBC Radio for her book “Hamish McBadger Comes To Stay,” whose theme is the bullying of small children and its diagnosis. Claire can be contacted at: info@steadfastministries.co.uk.  (Photo Reproduced by kind permission of Steve Matthew, Staff Photographer, The Annandale Observer, Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland)