The new Affinity Theological Magazine Foundations is out. It is an online mag these days. I have an article in it on A red letter day in Bourton on the Water in August 1765.
A blog featuring whatever I fancy, often on the Christian faith but not exclusively
Foundations 85
The new Affinity Theological Magazine Foundations is out. It is an online mag these days. I have an article in it on A red letter day in Bourton on the Water in August 1765.
Ministry December 17, 20, 24 and 25
The holiday vibe has left s rather behind with things so here is a combined report on four meetings over the last ten days or so.
First, on December 17 Eddie, my assistant, preached morning and evening from Luke 1 and 2 on Mary and the Shepherds. We had typical congregations for these days although already people had started to go away. Eddie got on fine. It was a strange week beforehand for me. I am not used to not preaching on a Sunday and didn't cope well.
Midweek on December 20 just a few of us gathered. We looked at 2 Corinthians 8:9 and spent time in prayer.
December 24 we had a decent congregation in the morning (eventually) with three sons and other family members present, loads of Iranians as usual (about 13 plus two visitors from Birmingham), two African families who we have been getting confused about, a new lady and her 96 year old mother and a few others. I managed to introduce two potential new members to each other. My head deacon has gone down with covid so he and his family were absent. In the evening it was just five of us Bradys and our chuch sevretary and PA man. I preached from Matthew 2 on the wisemen and on Herod.
Then on Christmas Day we gathered not knowing quite what to expect. In the end there were seven of us family, the PA man and the pianist and her husband and daughter, the new lady from the day before, five Iranians, a lady from Pakistan, a Nigerian lady, a man from Afghanistan, a new lady I hope will join us soon, two people who live nearby who we had never seen before. I've probably missed someone, I had a message on two women, two tress and two deaths, which was appreciated.
Midweek Meeting December 13 2023
We weren't many and I didn't present my material very well. It 's like that sometimes. Everyone prayed, however.
Lord's Day December 10 2023
As the week before, I preached twice last Sunday to a large morning congregation and a much smaller evening one. I started on Chrsitmas themes looking at Matthew 1 in reverse order to Matthew's plan. There are many encouragements at present with around six thinkig about membership or membership and baptism. An older couple who have been coming a little while were there again and I am trying to help them.
10 Football Grounds Near Each Other
 |
| Anfield and Goodison Park |
- Dundee & Dundee United (Dens Park, Tannadice Park) - 200 yards
- Liverpool & Everton (Anfield, Goodison Park) - 0.8 miles
- Chelsea & Fulham (Stanford Bridge, Craven Cottage) - 1.9 miles
- Aston Villa & Birmingham City (Villa Park, St Andrew's) - 3.5 miles
- Sheffield United & Sheffield Wednesday (Bramall Lane, Hillsborough) - 3.8 miles
- Hearts & Hibernian (Tynecastle Park, Easter Road) - 3.9 miles
- Millwall & Charlton (The Den, The Valley) - 3.9 miles
- Manchester United & Manchester City (Old Trafford, Etihad Stadium) - 4.4 miles
- Arsenal & Tottenham (The Emirates Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) - 4.5 miles
- Bristol City & Bristol Rovers (Ashton Gate, Memorial Stadium) - 5.1 miles
Westminster Conference 2023 Day 2
Our second day of conference somehow lived up to the first day though we were slightly less in number on this second day (probably due to the rail strike - we were around the hundred mark, I guess). We began with a highly theological paper from Tom Brand on the Trinity and the cry of derelction on the cross. Both the paper and the discussion that followed were very stimulating. In the afternoon Paul Wells spoke on Theodore Beza, foocussing particulalry on his understanding of assurance. The final paper, which in keeping with tradition was not followed by discussion, featured the Scots athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell. The paper was given by David Campbell. Great conference. The next one is on December 3 and 4, 2024.
Westminster Conference 2023 Day 1
We had a very good first day. We began, perhaps unexpectedly, with Thomas Aquinas. Aaron Prelock gave a very helpful paper focusing on Aquinas's understanding of the human soul as a fivefold entity. This aspect of his teaching was taken up by the Puritans and others and is still widely accepted to some extent today. We had a decent discussion on whether we need to read Aquinas, what we can learn from him and where we need to take care. In the afternoon Benedict Bird gave an excellent lecture on Matthew Poole (1624-1679) and his writings. We then discussed the use of commentaries and one or two other things. The final paper if the day was from Lewis Allan on his hero Henry Venn, the evangelical Anglican who ministered in Huddersfield and Yelling and who was the father of John Venn, chaplian to the Clapham sect. It was good to hear someone in full command of his subject as Lewis is. The main thing we went on to discuss was emotional intelligence.
Lord's Day December 3 2023
A good full day last Lord's Day. We began with 16 of us sat down to communion and then had a very full morning service, including South African friends visiting from Perth, Australia, who were then with us for lunch with others. I preached a brief pointed sermon from the end of Luke 18 on the blind man healed. In the evening preaching to a much smaller group, I went again to Proverbs 30, to verses 7-9 this time. I felt I could have done better. Good day all told, however.
Pastors Academy Christmas Reformed
Had a very nice morning at the seminary last Thursday with about 15 others in the capable hands of Garry Williams. There are various approaches to the season for churches and I have long held my own view but it was good to hear Garry tackle it theologically. The view is basically that it is perfectly appropriiate to look at the theme od the incarnation at any time of the year and that inckudes December. We were warned against infantilising the story and misunderstanding what actually happened. This was all bulked out with some solid expostion of Matthew 1, much appreciated as that is the very place I hope to preach from this Christmas.
Seventy Christmas Songs
By my reckoning there must be some seventy Christmas selections available from Kate Rusby on the six different albums.
That breaks down to about
30 carols (including 6 versions of While Shepherds and 2 each of Hark the Herald, I saw three ships and Hark, hark).
9 novelty or joke songs - Kris Kringle, Santa never brings me a banjo, some Big Brave Bill tracks, The Ivy and the Holly, Hippo for Christmas, Arrest These Merry Gentlemen and Nothin' for Christmas
7 traditional Christmas songs - Paradise, Deck the halls, Serving Girl's Holiday, A miner's dream of home, We'll sing hallelujah, Mistletoe Bough and with bawdy humour, The Christmas Goose.
6 songs are Kate's own compositions - Home, Christmas is Merry, The Holly King and Celestial Hearts, Let the bells ring and The moon shines bright
5 modern songs - Winter Wonderland, Let it snow, I am Christmas, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and A spaceman came travelling.
4 more songs are wassailing songs plus Yorkshire Merry Christmas plus Poor old horse about a similar Christmas tradition.
2 sort of counting songs - Seven good joys and The Dilly Carol.
2 more, The Wren and Candlemas mark post-Christmas celebrations
2 others, Drive the cold winter away and When the frost is all over are weather songs
1 slightly egregious track - Holmfirth Album
New Kate Rusby Christmas Album Out Today
The sixth Christmas album by Kate Rusby is avaiable from today. Kicking off with a nice version of Brightest and best of the sons of morning (Spean) followed by one of those atmospheric winter songs we have come to love (Glorious), the eleven track set is familiar in some ways yet fresh and will be much enjoyed over the next 25 days and beyond. Inevitbly, there is yet another version of While shepherds, of course. In the end it's that voice that's key. Wonderful.
Hoping to see her on December 11.
Day Off Week 48 2023
In week 47 we were down in South Wales for two days with the family but this week it was back to the more normal arrangement. Dale Ralph Davis's latest book on the Psalms (38-51) is now out and is well up to scratch. I am enjoying it immensely and finding it very helpful. There has been a lot of publicity about Ridley Scott's film Napooleon so I decided to go see it at our nearby Imax cinema. It does merit such a viewing and kept me gripped throughout. How accurate it is is debatable and we could have done without some of the material included that make ita 15. Nevertheless, you get an idea of the impact Napoleon made in his time at least. In the evning I watched a further episode of the current Shetland which seems t be thriving despite losing its main character (actually the main character is Shetland itself).
Lord's Day November 26 2023
It was good to be preaching last Lord's Day both morning and evening. Another interesting day with many missing but some recent visitors returning and yet more new people coming. In the morning a new Nigerian lady and an Iranian man were there for the first time on a Sunday and then in the evening a lovely Zimbabwean family.
Family Time
Just wanted to note that we had a busy week last week with a friend staying for a week and another friend staying over. Then at the end of last week we were in South Wales seeing most of the family in Cardiff. The main reason for heading that way was that my youngest grand daughter, Daisy, was celebrating her first birthday which is aroundthis time. Nice time.
Midweek Meeting November 22 2023
Decent number on Wednesday and everyone present prayed. We looked at the final part of Galatians 5.
10 Songs about waiting
1. A hundred years - Tracy Chapman
2. Tired of waiting for yu - The Kinks
3. Waiting in vain - Bob Marley and the Wailers
4. I'll be waiting - Horslips
5. Ain't no sushine - Bill Withers
6. Evert day hurts - Sad Cafe
7. Crying, waiting, hoping - Buddy Holly
8. Don't miss you at all - Norah Jones
9. Wouldn't it be nice - Beach Boys
10. Wait - The Beatles
(Hanging on the telepone - Blondie)
Lord's Day November 19 2023
These are interesting days in Childs Hill. In the morning my assistant Eddie preached to about 40 from Haggai. In the evening we had communion and then I preached to less than half that number from a wonderful verse in Isaiah. In the morning there were at least five new people - an older couple who arrived late last week and are very interested and thre enore Iranians (a mother and two older children) who were previously side-tracked by the Watchtower organisation. At least 14 other Iranians present. Hope we see more of all five plus the people missing on Sunday.
Midweek Meeting November 15 2023
Back to full strength numbers wise last week. We carried on in Galatians, looking at Chapter 5:16-21. Lots to pray about.
Day Off Week 46 2023
Somehow last Tuesday's day off went much better than the previous week. The main thing was reading most of the sermons in Volume 5 of Beddome's discourses. I have borrowed a set of volumes 5-8 not available online and am planning to work through them although I'm sure I looked at Volume 5 not so very long ago. I also watched the latest edition of University Challenge and did a little blogging.
November 21-23 1963
(This repeats a post from an earlier time)
21st
1. Death Robert Stroud, Springfield, Missouri, 73 (American convict "Birdman of Alcatraz")
22nd
2. Death J F Kennedy, Dallas, 46
3. Death C S Lewis, Oxford, 65
4. Death Aldous Huxley, Hollywood, 69
5. Death William R Titterton, 87 (journalist and poet, friend and first biographer of G K Chesterton)
6. Death J D Tippit, Dallas, 39 (American police officer, also murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald)
7. Death Wilhelm Beiglböck, Buxtehude, 58 (Nazi war doctor)
8. Release of the Beatles second studio album With the Beatles
23rd
9. Death Luis Cernuda, Mexico City, 61 (Spanish poet and exile)
10. BBC broadcasts first episode of Dr Who series
Evangelical Library Lecture Samuel Davies
On Monday we had the thrid of this Autumn's Evangelical Library lectures when I spoke on zoom on Samuel Davies (born in 1723) and his trip here in 1754. With references to Whitefield, the Wesleys and a host of others, I hope people enjoyed it. You can access the lecture here on YouTube.
Lord's Day November 12 2023
Last Lord's Day's services began with the traditional two minutes silence and we also had a fellowship meal together after the morning meeting. It was a very interesting day otherwise with a number of visitors. On days like this one I think maybe we are finally breaking through. We will see. At the same time there were a significant number missing. I preached from Luke in the morning and then did a one off text in the evening, Isaiah 35:3, 4. In the morning yet more Iranians joined us, a lady and her daughter who one of our Iranian members met on the bus and invited. Then just before lunch an elderly couple arrived. Londoners, he is of Indian origin (Goa) and she of Austrian origin. They have a daughter who writes plays for Radio 4. Anyway they are veru concerned about the current climate and are eager to ome along to a church. I hope they will. Then in the evening we had a lady come who we have known for years but she has not been with us in ages so that was good. Also a young lady who has been showing an interest came again with a friedn who we discovered is very much on our circles. So an interesing rayer prompting day, I guess.
Latest copy of In Writing now out (142)
In Wiritng 144 is now out with exellent stuff on Pascal and Wesley adn more.
Midweek Meeting November 8 2023
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Rather low numbers at the midweek meeting (four in the room and four online I think it was). We were in Galatians again. Lots of warnings about false teachers. Decent prayer time.
Day Off Week 45 2023
I haven't had a formal day off for a while as we have had lots of family visits. Anyway, I tried to have a proper day off last Tuesday but I was just not organised or on it enough so the day was rather frittered away. I bought some cheese for my cheese blog (Monte Enebro) and had a coffee out and did some reading (see abpve) but a weird old day. Oh yes and there was an hour of joy when I sat down with an interested Iranian couple in our front room to discuss the Bible.
Lord's Day November 5 2023
We began last week with communion and then I preached from a great text to a decent sized congregation, with a large number of Iranians, as ever. My assistant preached well in the evening on the wedding at Cana to a small congregation. It is a little strange preaching only once on a Sunday.
Induction Pershore Evangelical Church
On Saturday I was in Pershore, Worcestershire for the induction of Andrew Lolley as the assistant pastor at Pershore Evanglical Church in Worcestershire. These last three yers have been difficult ones for Andrew and Jill following their decision to leave the previous work in Perth. The Lord has led them, however, and they have benefited from the ministry of Noel Ramsey above in Wensleydale Evangelical Churchm, Leyburn. The new church is small but vibrant. The plan is for Andrew to work alongside Clive Bryant the founding elder. The church has no building but they have use of a school and about ffty gathered there to hear Noel preach and to mark this new era. Good day.
Midweek Meeting November 1 2023
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We are around the none or tn marl these days misweek. We are back in Galatians. This time Chapter 5:1-6. Most people prayed though oneor two were shy or tired. What a blessing to pray with God's people.
Lord's Day October 29 2023
Last Lord's Day was a little bit different. In a welcome initiative from St Giles Christian Mission, four milles away in Islington, we arranged a morning swap. Aaron Prelock preached here and I preached in St Giles, which I'd not done before. The congregation is similar to ouor own in many ways but the building and congregation are twice the size, I guess, and they have managed to retain people who grew up there. We have no-one matching that description at Childs Hill. I preached from Song of Songs becasue it is a neglected book and that went okay but I was rather long needing to set things up for the one off sermon. In the evening I preached here on Job 36 and 37. I have rather struggled with these Elihu chapters having changed my view on him. A lot of epostion today and a lack of preaching I fear.
GBM Day 2023
It was good last Saturday to be at the GBM Annual meetings in the FriendsHouse in Euston. It was mys assistant Eddie's first time and he was suitably impressed by all that goes on. We attended the AGM first which has its tedious element but the business has to be dealt with I guess and it was done very well. Nice to see various people who I;ve come to know ove th years. Enjoyed various sessions, especially the six new missionaries, before heading back home a little early as we have family here. You can watcha good chunk here on Youtube.
England's Biggest Secondhand Bookshop
While in Rochester, we stumbled across England's biggest secondhand bookshop
Wedding in Kent
So last Thursday my wife and I headed east to Kent. We stayed in a nice little (very little) Air BnB in Rochester for the night. We enjoyed having a wander in the historic town which we have only visited once before. Satis House is apparently the house that Dickens based the home of Miss Haversham on and Abdication House is where James II en route for the continent and no longer being king. We had an afternoon coffee and later a pizza at Pizza Express. Very nice. I bought a nice little book on Helen Keller for children, which I enjoyed. We also watched The Highway Men a Netflix film about the notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde.
The reason we were in Kent was to be at the wedding of Davd Mitchell to Alice Relf in Chatham. We have known David for years. He came to us when he was a student. One of my sons was bestman (great speech) and another a groomsman. Great day at churh and at the reception. Lots of ministers there one way and another. One of the most enjoyable weddings I have attended.
10 Rhyming Animal Names
1. Cat, bat, rat and gnat
2. Whale, snail and quail
3. Dog, frog and hog
4. Bear, hare and mare
5. Eel, seal and cockatiel
6. Cougar and Beluga
7. Moose and goose
8. Elk and whelk
9. Baboon and raccoon
10. Mink and skink
(Also fox and ox, mole and vole, hen and wren)
November Banner Mag
Another new Banner Mag is just out. It includes the second part of an article I have put together on Benjamin Beddome and friendship.
Midweek Meeting October 25 2023
Ten of us met last night for prayer and an interactive study of some of Paul's prayers in 1 and 2 Corinthians. Eddie led us. Most prayed. There did not seem to be anyone online. Lots to pray for.
Lord's Day October 22 2023
I was not preaching last Lords Day in the morning. It's a weird feeling waking up and not having to preach but not being on holiday either. Anyway Eddie preached well from Haggai. Perhaps it could have been simpler. We had about 11 Iranians present (three were away). Three we haven't seen in a while. One family is currently homeless and so it was good to see them at least. Our seven Filipinos made a sharp exit together. Integrating the different groups is not easy. I preached to a smaller congregation in the evening from Job again with my revised approach to Elihu. I need to be simpler.
Rugby World Cup 2023 Weeks 6 & 7
Unsurprisingly, Wales did go out before the semi-finals. They should have beaten Argentina but despite a great team ust coldn't do it. The game saving tackle above made a big difference but it would be unfair to say it was all on that. England managed to win a by a point and the lose by a point in the semi-finals and so have gone slightly further than Wales. No duroise that the final is South Africa and New Zealand.
Midweek Meeting October 18 2023
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On October 18 we gathered as usual for prayer and Bible study. We seem to have settled down to about eight on a Wenesday night with a few abler to join us online. Everyone prayed and before that we finally got back to our studies in Galatians, looking at the potentially difficult passage in the second part of Chapter 4 where Paul speaks allegorically.
Lloyd-Jones Lecture on Bavinck
This year's Dr Lloyd-Jones Memorial Lecture at London Seminary was given by Dr James Eglinton on Bavinck on preachers and preaching. This very interesting talk revealed that only one sermon by Hermann Bavinck survives but he and his protege, his nephew J H Bavinck, wrote on the subeject and so it is possible to address the subject. The emphasis was on persuasion which begins with knowing the culture and then applying the biblical message. Sadly, the lecture was delivered in the dark as there had been a power cut. It was only once the lecture was over that the lights came on again. About 30 or 40 were there. Dr Eglinton did very well in difficult circumstances. He has been lecturing all week at the seminary on Dutch Neo-Calvinsim (Kuyper, Bavinck et al).
Day Off Week 42 2023
Mosty reading as usual. I read a bu=it more of this big book on early evangelicalism I have mentioned. I also read the recently published Moses and the burning bush by the late R C Sproul. It is a real gem. Beautifully produced, easy to read and full of important doctrine. I also got out for a coffee and bought some gorgonzola. In the evening we went to the London Seminary for the Lloyd-Jones lecture. I'll report on that elsewhere.
Lord's Day October 16 2023
Way behind with things. Last Lord's Day I preached only in the morning. We looked at that classic parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Good number out but as ever some missing. In the evening I led the communion and then Eddie preached on 2 Timothy 2:7. Good stuff and a decent number for an evening service.
Rugby World Cup 2023 Week 4 & 5
Looking forward to the Rugby World Cup quarter finals this weekend. Wales were not playing on Week 4 but they had their last game of the group stages last Saturday and beat Georgia 43-19 (Rees Zammit scored a hat trick). So all four games won if not with ease then at least competently. I enjoyed Samoa almost pipping England last week too. Portugal Tonga was an equally close game. Beat Argentina tomorrow and Wales are in the Semi-finals amazingly. However, it would be against Ireland or the All Blacks.
Week of Prayer October 11-13 2023
We had a week of prayer this week. In theory, these come round twice a year in Autumn and Spring. This time we had five prayer meetings - all in person. Two were first thing, one mid morning and two in the evening. We had between four and ten at each meeting (something like a nominal 31 but about 13 of us in fact at different times). We only sang once. I shared leading the meetings with my assistant Eddie. Three Iranians prayed. When it was in Farsi I simply asked for a summary of whathad been prayed. Good to focus on prayer afresh.
Day Off Week 41 2023
I seem to have missed making a report on my day off on October 3 and can't remember much of it now (althoough I think I bought Yarg and there was cheese blogging and the viewing of BBC documentaries on the Nazis). Anyway, on October 10 I was up early to take Eleri to work as she was not only out all day but had an evening meeting too. On the way back I grabbed a coffee and read my Bible, etc. There was a prayer meetng at 11 am - four of us gathered for a cuppa and a time of prayer. I was reading two art books during the day - one on Degas in the wonderful series I collect and another on Turner in Wales. I had forgotten he had painted Newport Castle. We had house guests so I spent a little time with them but they were out much of the day and soI went to Chipotle for lunch. I bought some ort Salut to reort on at my cheese blog. I also watched the BBC docudrama on Jimmy Savile, which proved to be surprisngy theological on the whole.
Evangelical Library Lunch Time Lecture Samuel Annesley
About twenty or so gathered on zoom last Monday to hear an excellent illustrated lecture from Nrman Hopkins on Samuel Annesley (c 1620-1696) the St Paul of the Nonconformists. Annesley was the Wesleys' grandfather and so his name is known but not much abpout hm It was good to be infprmed and challeneged on that score. Another zoom lecture next month (November 13) on Samuel Davies in Britain.
Lord's Day October 8 2023
It was good to be back preaching morning and evening last Lord's Day. n the morning I preached a harvest sermon from Hosea 10:12. I like to take a harvest text once a year at this time. One odd thing in the morning is that a woman came in part way through the sermon and having prayed a few moments and crossed herself she left. For some reason I decided to tell her that would do no good, religion is not the answer. Of course, most of the congregation did not know who I was addressing and so it was not perhaps the best approach. In the evening we went back to Job, looking at Chapters 32 and 33 where Elihu begins to speak. I used Christopher Ash's commentary to modify what I had prepared earlier. We were about 12 in the evening. An unbaptised lady we are getting to know came morning and evening, which was encouraging. We also had an Iranian couple along in the morning who have spent a lot of time sidetracked by Christadelphianism. There were others missing due to illness and other reasons,which was more discouragiing.
Midweek Meeting October 4 2023
We are getting used to being back in the parlour midweek. We were eight this week and three or four online, which is working okay with the omnidirectional microphone. I had intended to go back to Galaiaans but decided on on more psalm - Psalm 112. We had a good prayer time too.Praying especially for the restarting of our children's work.
New Book for Christmas
Fraternal Week Again
As I have mentioned before on this blog I attend two quite different fraternals and they often end up in the same week (Monday and Wednesday). That is what happened this week. Last Monday it was the fairly traditional Westminster Fellowship at Westminster Baptist Church. This time John Benton was speaking to us on this thorny subject of pastoral abuse in churches. As ever, John was very helpful. About 20 of us were there. Then last Wednesday five of us met to go for a walk on Hampstead Heath. We meet at Hampstead Heath Station, walk to Kenwood for a coffee (kindly paid for by Aaron this time) and then on to Gospel Oak Station where we part. So no formality, just chatting about what we wish with whom we wish. It works well, though it would be nice to see more along.
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