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).

God's Rascal

I noticed the other week that Dale Ralph Davis has a new book out, iGod's Rascal. This is on Genesis 25-35 and is on the Jacob material there. It is a companion to the previous volume on Genesis 12-25 looking at the Abraham material, Faith of our Father. I was a little disappointed with the material on Luke but this is a return to form. It is the usual scholaly yet popular formula that we have come to expect. Really worth getting hold of.

Day Off Week 23 2020

I had a nice day off this week. I managed to get my 10,000 steps in again and I finished Gimson's book on the presidents and read most of Dale Ralph Davis's latest book on the psalms, which lives up well to its usual standards. I also listened to Louis Theroux interviewing KSI, which was interesting, enlightening and in the end quite disturbing in some ways. (KSI is a YouTuber with a massive audience mostly of young people). Let me repeat that I try to report on the day off because I think it might encourage others in ministry to try and keep some pattern in their lives. Therefore, I should add that I began the day making a to do list and some of those things just had to be done on that day so I did them.

Yet More Christmas Reading 2017

Two other books I have read over this holiday period and that can be highly recommended are D Ralph Davis's Stump Kingdom and Sinclair Ferguson's Child in the manger.

I was given the latter as  Christmas present last year. The one snag with such gifts is that as you do not get the gift until Christmas Day there is little enthusiasm for plunging into such topics then, although I did leaf through it, of course. Well, this year I have given the little hardback a thorough read and I have really enjoyed it. Someone of the experience of a Sincalr Ferguson should not find it difficult to put together such a book. This is not simply my best 10 sermons, however, but a 10 chapters with some sort of connectivity that provide a fairly thorough examination of the subject - Matthew 1, the shepherds, the wisemen, the Isaiah prophecies and even King Herod, etc. It is very useful for devotional use or to plunder for sermon material and deserves a wide readership.

Ralph Davis's book is not a Christmas book, strictly speaking, nor does it claim to be but as it covers Isaiah 6-12 it includes those crucial prophecies regarding the virgin birth and so on so it was good to be reading it when I was. Davis often spekas about vintage yahweh. This is certainly vintage Davis - thorough scholarship, clear structure, vivid illustrations from American and European history and other sources and genuine pastoral insights, all presented in a colloquial but reverend style that holds interest. If you have read any previous offerings from Dr Davis you will need no further encouragement to get this volume.

Slogging along

Slogging along in the paths of righteousness by Dale Ralph Davis is Davis's apparently unplanned follow up to The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life. The first book covers Psalms 1-12 and the second Psalms 13-24. Both books give around 10-12 pages to each Psalm, beginning with Davis's own careful translation and characterised by his usual mix of gentle scholarship, playful language, brilliant illustrations, judicious quotations and helpful applications. I am far from being alone in recognising what a great gift Dr Davis is to God's people. Another 10 books like this would be most welcome. The only problem I can see is with titles and special effects for the covers (for the first we had slightly raised mud splashes which I did try to rub off and this second has colour in a black and white photo). How about Trudging the Lord's ways through the sludge of reality and using a black and white colour split effect (as below)?

 

Davis on Psalms 1-12

Just before I came away to Aber I noticed that Dale Ralph Davis had a new little book out - The way of the righteous in the muck of life. What it is is a series of sermons on the first 12 Psalms. Each Psalm is written out in Davis's own translation and followed by a brief sermon characterised by the usual Davis formula of careful scholarship, hippish lingo and great illustration. I enjoyed the first two or three, enjoying the illustrations especially. Then it began to pall a little and I thought there were too many. I then got back on a more even keel accepting that Davis has great strengths but you wouldn't want everyone to follow the same formula. Each preacher is to give us God's word through his own personality.

Here is a great little book then, excellent for devotional reading, sermon prep or just to read through. We are greatly indebted to Dr Davis for this and to the publishers for arranging it. Another few volumes could well be sustained. I was able to get my copy signed by the man himself, which no doubt adds to its value. By the way, I did find myself trying to scratch the speck of mud off the front at one point so full marks to the cover designer for his efforts too.

Aber 2010 03

The Aberystwyth Conference is over for us as we are attending a wedding today. As ever it has been nice to see so many people and enjoy good ministry. Sadly, there were loads of people we just didn't get to chat to. There are meetings this morning and this evening. I apologised to Stuart Olyott that I would miss tonight. He thought that I was about the hundredth person to so apologise and only his wife Doll is a definite at present. I'm sure the Great Hall will be packed, however, as it has been through the week and some will have to sit in the plush cinema downstairs and watch it there in the overflow. As for the morning meetings, the inimitable Dale Ralph Davis has been walking us through Jeremiah. The opening session on Jeremiah 1 was stellar and a brilliant start with its powerful mix of thorough exegesis, cautious theology, semi-street talk, great application and fine illustrations. None of those present will read the opening remarks of Jeremiah about when he prophesied again without remembering that far from being pedestrian remarks about chronology, this is a testimony to the relentlessness of God's Word whatever the circumstances. None of the subsequent talks lived quite up to that first one for some reason but we have had excellent stuff. Those who attended Wednesday's seminar got an extra talk from Jeremiah 40 dealing with failure in ministry. That had a mixed reception maybe but was again for me a powerful bit of applied exegesis. It was also a treat Wednesday night to be in the manse where my father-in-law Geoff Thomas had invited Dr Davis and one or two others. I wasn't the only one to grab opportunity for a book signing. I got the impression that Ralph is a self-effacing man, cheerful but only by grace, something of a scholar but chiefly a pastor who enjoys writing. I could identify. He is about to retire from the pastorate and is set on writing up another Old Testament book and not doing too much conference work. It is good to know that God has such a variety of servants working away in the vineyard.

Aber 2010 02

The first evening session was on Monday night. The preacher was Gareth Williams from Bala and he took us to Colossians for a message that was chiefly evangelistic. Gareth is a similar age to myself. He was in Cardiff when I was in Aber. The second evening it was our friend Martin Downes on Acts 24, more consistently evangelistic but with a similar clear, calm and deliberate style. I am missing Bill James tonight as it's my turn to babysit. I'll also be missing Steve Brady and Stuart Olyott on subsequent nights as we have to leave early for a wedding.

I also missed Hywel Jones on the Christian mind yesterday afternoon but was able to hear Dale Ralph Davis the main speaker at a seminar this afternoon. I'll say something about his main addresses and this one in another post. I also managed a nice coffee with my friend Robert Strivens.

I missed Dr Jones as we were all on the beach in Borth (the whole wider family and friends, including one cousin of Eleri's over from the States) chatting and playing cricket. It's been remarkably good weather since we got here more or less. On the Monday afternoon I made my annual visit to the Christian Bookshop here in Aber and made a number of purchases. I sat down on the seafront to peruse them and got chatting with a young Estonian student. I don't think she had met a Christian really before so she was keen to talk. She proved sceptical and was sure that simply doing good deeds to please herself was enough. I told her she was blind and needed a "Copernican revolution" in her whole way of thinking - from a me-centred outlook to a God-centred one. I hope she meets other Christians this week. There are plenty about.

Aber 2010

Our chairman Gareth Edwards announced this morning that the speakers next year will be, God willing, Dale Ralph Davies and Gareth Williams (Bala), (Heresy Huntin') Martin Downes, Bill James and Stuart Olyott. Looks good.

Aber 09 2

Joel Beeke is the main speaker this year. His theme is Contagious Christian Living and he began Tuesday morning with an intro talking about the need to be a Christian, to make use of the means of grace and to have an evangelistic heart. He took Jephthah's daughter as his first example - the contagion being expressed in the tradition of remembering her in Israel (see Judges). Perplexingly, Joel went against the view of Matthew Henry and Dale Ralph Davies, etc, that Jephthah actually killed his daughter. Anyway his points about the difficult call to submission and the wonderful exercise of it in the case of the daughter still stand more or less. He called powerfully for us in every situation to acknowledge, justify, approve, cling to and honour the Lord.

In the afternoon Dr Beeke also gave a seminar on Calvin. I missed the beginning where he defended Calvin against charge of being doctrinally unevangelistic. By the time I had arrived he had moved on to Calvin's practical evangelistic efforts in the congregation, throughout Geneva, into Europe especially France and even as far as Brazil, though this latter mission proved unsuccessful. Perhaps Calvin was not as active in world mission as one might have hoped but he was very busy with many things, the need at home being his priority. There were also many government restrictions. However, he sought God's glory and was compelled by his belief in election to seek to win souls.

He closed with a call to humble passion, holy patience, heartfelt prayer and happy perseverance in evangelism. We must stay on task; we must see that discouragement is often followed by revival; we must rely on God; we must take heart.

*

The Tuesday evening speaker was Richard Bewes, former rector at All Souls. Some how I've never heard him before. A short interview from chairman Stuart Olyott established the roots of this pucker Englishman with the Andrew Neil comb over (grandfather converted under Moody, parents missionaries in Kenya, the books, etc). He seemed a strange choice for this conference to me but he gave what I thought was a fine talk on penal substitution. He used words like redemption, wrath, propitiation, etc, which were good to hear. It was all on the blood. I thought some of his illustrations and his explanation of eating Christ's flesh was excellent. Lots of people I spoke to, however, found it difficult to follow (because they wanted to take notes I guess). Anyway he's on again Wednesday night.

The Word Became Fresh

If you've read any Dale Ralph Davis (he has six little commentaries on Joshua-2 Kings) you'll need no persuading about his latest little book The Word Became Fresh. Living up to its bold title in every way, Davis here steps back and speaks mainly to fellow preachers on how to preach OT - something we all need help and encouragement with.
The result is an experience that really makes you want to preach as he moves deftly from one OT narrative to another. It's the combination of (lightly worn) scholarship, clear writing (slick but never too slick), a stunning gift for illustration and a wise and warm pastoral heart that makes this such a tour de force. One is left intellectually stimulated and challenged and emotionally stirred and warmed at the same time. Few books do that.
The nine chapters cover how we approach things, looking for quirks in the text, applying theology, how a passage is packaged, dealing with nasties, using the macroscope for the big picture, appropriation or application (but not like anything else you've read on the subject), centring in the right place and finally how to bring this altogether.
To whet you appetite here is the stand out opening of Chapter 3 (Theology)

Despair may have begun creeping over you as you saw the word ‘theology.’ Here’s the thick, heavy stuff, you say. But I don’t know what’s wrong with theology. It’s what we live for, isn’t it? In any case, I’m using the term here to refer to the theology of a biblical text, that is, what the text means to say about God, his ways and his works. Or, to put it a bit differently, I use the term to refer to the intended message of a biblical text. I do not want to discuss how one detects the intention of a text here — I touched on that via a few inadequate hints in chapter 1. Rather, I want to focus on a section of material (the ‘patriarchal’ narratives in Genesis) in which an initial, premier passage (Gen. 12:1-9) determines the meaning of so many of its individual passages. There are reasons for taking this approach: (1) it will allow us to stay within one block of textual material, while mining for the theology of texts; (2) it will illustrate how preceding biblical theology helps to interpret subsequent passages; and (3) I’m writing the book and should be allowed to do what I want.

More info: http://www.christianfocus.com/item/show/983/-