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

 

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

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)