Rasputin by Anthiny Beevor

I saw this in bookshop and decided to get it on kindle. The current kindle system is very good iin that you can download a sample and when you have read that you have covered 10% of the book and so it is easy to download the rest and read. Typically, I am aware of Rasputin but could not have given you his dates or much else and there was no distinction in my mind between the rumours and the facts. Anthony Beevor makes a brave effort it give context and to distinguish fact and fiction but it is not easy. There seemed to be as much about everyone else as there was about Rasputin and with a large dramatis personae it was hard to keep upp at times. I think I've got a better hande on it now and there clealry is a connection between Rasputin's role and the fall of the house of Romanov. Beevor suggests it is the power of rumour. Certiny there is a lot of gullibility and suprstition going on here. Whether this will lead me on to other books by Beevor I am not sure.

Midweek Meeting June 17 2026

We were five in the room tonight plus two online. A new person, a youung lady, came along for the first time. We looked at another interesting word of phrase. This time, penal substitiutionary atonement. We spent a little while in prayer after that. All over in less than an hour.

Day Off Week 25 2026

Yesterday I started back on my walk along the Thames Path. I went down to Wapping overground station to get near the start of my next section and had a coffee in the Urban Baristas coffee shop there. I then walked over old ground and onto new as far as Canary Wharf where I managed to find a Jubilee station thanks to the help of two young ladies bent onthe same quest. One was a Nigerian Brit student and the other an Iraqi German visiting her. Nice chat. During the day I sarted reading The Voices of Pompeii on kindle and in the evening watched lots of TV. Lovely weather.

Lord's Day June 14 2026

We had lunch in church last Sunday, which is always nice. We could all squeeze into the Parlour as we were not a vast number. Several are away on holiday and others don't turn up. It was a good morning congregation and even in the evening we were in double figures. We continue to work through the closing chapters of Luke's Gospel. Yesterday morning we looked at Peter's denial and then in the evening Jesus's trials.

10 rules to observe to come to stability in obedience by John Owen

Attributed to John Greenhill, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In his work on Psalm 130 John Owen gives a series of rules for coming to stability in obedience

RULE I Realise Christ is the only infallible judge of our spiritual condition

RULE II Self-condemnation and abhorrency for sin are consistent with gospel justification and peace— The nature of gospel assurance

RULE III Continuance in waiting is necessary unto peace and consolation

RULE IV Remove the hindrances of believing by a searching out of sin with rules and directions for that duty

RULE V Distinguish between unbelief and jealousy

RULE VI Distinguish between faith and spiritual sense

RULE VII Make sure not to mix foundation and building work together

RULE VIII Spend no time in heartless complaints

RULE IX Take heed of undue expressions concerning God and his ways in distress

RULE X Duly improve the least appearances of God in a way of grace or pardon

(RULE XI would be to consider where lies the hinderance to peace)

10 contrasts between Psalms 105 and 106

Philip  De Vere, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Psalms 105 and 106 are twin historical psalms that tell the same story from two different perspectives. While Psalm 105 focuses on God’s perfect faithfulness, Psalm 106 focuses on humanity’s persistent unfaithfulness.

1. Psalm 105 is a hymn of praise. Its tone is joyful, celebratory and filled with gratitude. Psalm 106 is a prayer of repentance. Its tone is sombre, reflective and confession-driven.
2. Psalm 105 builds confidence. It reminds the reader that God always keeps His unconditional promises. Psalm 106 teaches humility. It reminds the reader that mercy is the only reason the nation survived.
3. Psalm 105 is about God's loyalty. It highlights God's initiative, promises and miracles. Psalm 106 is about Israel's rebellion: It highlights human failure, complaints and spiritual amnesia.
4. Psalm 105 omits all sin. It completely skips over the golden calf, the grumbling and the rebellions. Psalm 106 details every failure. It acts as a national confession, listing specific sins from Egypt to the Exile.
5. Psalm 105 starts with Abraham. It traces the covenant from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob before reaching Moses. Psalm 106 starts at the Red Sea: It bypasses the early Patriarchs to jump straight into the Exodus sins.
6. Psalm 105 celebrates the plagues. It portrays the plagues as God's mighty judgments against Egypt. Psalm 106 laments the wilderness:. It portrays the wilderness as a place where Israel constantly tested God's patience.
7. Psalm 105:37–39 says God brought them out laden with silver and gold. He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to give light at night. Psalm 106:7 says They gave no thought to God's miracles in Egypt. They did not remember His kindness; they rebelled by the Red Sea.
8. Psalm 105:42–44 says God remembered His holy promise to Abraham. He brought His people out with joy. He gave them the lands of the nations. Psalm 106:24, 25 says They despised the pleasant land and did not believe His promise. They grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.
9. Psalm 105:44, 45 says He gave them the lands of the nations... that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord! Psalm 106:34–36 says They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord commanded. Instead, they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs, worshipping their idols.
10. Psalm 105 ends with victory. It concludes with the triumphant possession of the Promised Land. Psalm 106 ends in captivity: It concludes with a plea to be gathered and rescued from exile among the nations.

The world cup 2026

UKinUSA from Washington, D.C., USA, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

Watched Canada draw 1-1 with Bosnia Herzegovina last night. Typical world cup - great fans, sturring anthems, lots of boring bits and one or two flashes of brilliance. I think most games will be on in the middle of our night so I won't see much. It's a great spectacle though. (My wife thought they should have shown more Michael Bublie).

Upcoming Conference in Sydney

 

Catalyst 2026 Day 3

Four Baptists among friends
(I had friends from Germany and France staying and my father-in-law was there too)

Today was perhaps the best day with all four men doing very well. Reuben Hunter spoke helpfully about persecution from John 16 and Sinclair Ferguson on John Owen and the fellowship of the Spirit. Good stuff too from Harrison Perkins and Kelly Kapic. Sorry not to have given any detail but the videos will be available soon. Here's one brilliant take away

"The love of God is like himself — equal, constant, not capable of augmentation or diminution; our love is like ourselves — unequal, increasing, waning, growing, declining. His, like the sun, always the same in its light, though a cloud may sometimes interpose; ours, as the moon, has its enlargements and straightenings."  John Owen

MIdweek Meeting June 10 2026

Six of us present and one online yesterday evening as we looked at union with Christ. A good time of prayer too.

Catalyst 2026 Day 2

Another good day at Catalyst with similar vibes to day one. Reuben Hunter moved on from John 14 to John 15, Sinclair Ferguson from the love of the Father to the grace of the Lord Jesus. Kelly Kapic focussed on the church in regard tio liing as a Christian. All very helpful. They will be up online soon, I'm sure.

Here is a snippet from Thomas Watson which I believe Reuben Hunter quoted today

You who are the branches of this Vine, let me beseech you to love the Vine which bears you—kiss and embrace Christ! Let your souls sound forth hallelujahs to the whole Trinity. Admire God the Father in sending a Vine from heaven; admire God the Son who was a bleeding Vine for you; admire God the Holy Spirit who has, by His mighty power, implanted you into this Vine. Turn all your sullen discontentments, into triumphant songs! You who were once dead—are now made living branches! You who were once unclean—are now made holy branches! You who once brought forth thistles—you now bear luscious grapes! Oh, make melody in your hearts to the Lord! Admire and celebrate free grace! It is well that there is an eternity coming—and that will be little enough time to praise God!

Catalyst 2026 Day 1

Great to be in IPC Ealing once again for the Catalyst Conference. Four sessions roday - two Brits in the morning and two Americans in the afternoon. So Reuben Hunter and Sinclair Ferguson followed by Harrison Perkins and Kelly Kapic. Feguson and Kapic, the Owen scholars, stood out in terms of presentation and content but a good and encouraging day all round. What a privilege to be there. I drove there with two guests we havesaying with us from France and Germany.

Lord's Day June 7 2026

Over fifty in the morning but a very small number in the evening. We began with a fairly well attended communion where we welcomed in another new member, agaiin a young lady (and with the same name as the last). We then had sermons on Gethsemane and Jesus's arrest from Luke 22.

10 men who changed their names for gain

1. Edward Austen Knight, Jane Austen's brother. Born Edward Austen, he was legally adopted by distant, childless cousins (Thomas and Catherine Knight). Under the strict stipulations of the Knights' will, he legally changed his surname to Knight in 1812 to inherit three expansive country estates.
2. Lord Byron: The famous poet's mother-in-law, Lady Judith Noel, died in 1822. Her will required that he change his surname from Byron to Noel in order to inherit half of her massive estate. He obtained a Royal Warrant to do so, briefly signing himself "Noel Byron".
3. Sir William Harcourt, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Born William Vernon, this prominent 19th-century statesman legally altered his name to Vernon-Harcourt. This allowed him to inherit the vast, historic Nuneham Courtenay estate in Oxfordshire when the male line of the Harcourt family went extinct.
4. Hercules Brabazon Brabazon, renowned English Artist. Born Hercules Brabazon Sharpe, the famous Victorian landscape painter changed his surname to Brabazon in 1847. He did this to satisfy the strict conditions of his uncle's will, instantly inheriting the beautiful Oaklands estate in Sussex and a massive financial fortune that funded his lifetime of art and travel.
5. William Edward Nightingale. Born WIlliam Edward Shore in 1815, upon turning 21 years old, he legally changed his surname to Nightingale. This was a strict requirement to claim a massive industrial fortune and multiple estates left to him by his eccentric, wealthy great-uncle, Peter Nightingale.
6. Davies Gilbert. Born Davies Giddy, he was a prominent mathematician and President of the Royal Society. In order to inherit the substantial estate of Thomas Gilbert of Sussex (whose niece and heiress he had married), Giddy took his wife's family name.
7. James Smithson. The wealthy English chemist and mineralogist was born James Macie, but changed his surname to Smithson in honour of his father, the Duke of Northumberland. When he died in 1829, he left his immense fortune to his nephew on the condition that he change his surname to Hungerford. Because the nephew died without heirs, the money was famously used to establish the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.
8. Richard Chandler Alexander Prior. Born Richard Chandler Alexander, this 19th-century English physician and botanist legally changed his surname to Prior in mid-life to inherit a substantial fortune.
9. George Spencer-Churchill. In 1817, George Spencer, the 5th Duke of Marlborough, was required to legally add the surname "Churchill" to his own, becoming George Spencer-Churchill. He did this by Royal Licence to preserve the immense wealth, estates (including Blenheim Palace), and legacy of his great-grandfather, the legendary military commander John Churchill. This is why his direct descendant was named Sir Winston Churchill.
10. Sir Arthir Conan-Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. Born Arthur Cnan Doyle, his life changed drastically due to his wealthy, childless great-uncle, Michael Conan. Upon his great-uncle's death, Arthur was left a substantial inheritance, but it came with a explicit legal stipulation: he had to officially preserve the family legacy by carrying the double-barrelled surname. Arthur legally adopted the compound surname, becoming Arthur Conan-Doyle and causing great cnfusion all around.

Gimson's Heroes

I've really enjoyed reading this book of fifty well written short biographies. They vary appropriately in length and in the type of person chosen. From politicians like Ernest Bevin to poets like John Betjeman; from the famous, such as Nelson and Churchill to the lesser known, such as Burke and Shaftesbury, to some I was unaware of - such as Stan Hollis and Michael Wharton. There are ten women (Boudica, Bess of Hardwick, Elizabeth I, Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Fry, Grace Daring, Florence Nightingale, Octavia Hill and Noor Inayat Khan) by design or happenstance. They are all British except the last, Nelson Mandela. The approach is fairly amoral and so one or two sneak through who I would not be keen on. When I was a boy my mother expected me to know about people like Alfred, Raleigh, Drake, Nelson, Livingstone and probably Shackleton. That way of thinking is less popular today but people likeGimson are still writing on thos elines and it is interesting to note.