Banner of Truth Conference Day Three Evening

 

At 5 pm this evening we had a session chaired by David Campbell on various mission matters - from Africa, India, Switzerland, Slovenia, Canada, Banner worldwide and the Open Air Mission. Then after dinner we had the final session with Christopher Ash, looking at Lamentations 4 and 5.

Women of Grace and Guts

This historical work by Juila Jones covers a fairly little known aspect of mission in India at the beginning of the twentieth century. I suppose this is pretty ordinary and unspectacular work but it has produced fruit that continues to this day. The unusual aspect of what is presented is that it concentrates on the the work of women who, as the title suggests, are marked by grace and guts (Winifred Booth, Ruth Morling, Olive Elliot and others, including the many Indian Bible women). The story deserves to be rescued from the yellowing pages of the SBM Herald and presented in this way. This well reasearched, well illustrated work is well worth seeking out. (One or two typos but no-one is perfect).

Day Off Week 45 2025

Days off are a little different these days as my wife Eleri is not on work on Tuesdays. We headed over to Brent Cross before lunch to do a little shopping. Eleri was busy much of the rest of the day and so I did my usual thing and read. I read most of the signed history book by Julia Jones that I picked up at the GBM meetings. It is arattlung read and I have now finished it. More anon. In the evening we watched some episodes from the ITV drama Coldwater. Also spent some time dabbling wioth AI music to no great purpose.

GBM Annual Meeting 2025

I always enjoy the GBM meetings and it has been good to be there today once again. We began with the uncontroversial delegates meetin, probably the last for director Daryl Jones, who is retiring. We ended with Ray Evans preaching from Acts 16. There was also a plenary session on India - yesterday, today and tomorrow featuring - some history by Julia Jones who has pur together a fascinating little book on the women missionaries in the early days - I also attended a fuller session she led on this and bought her new book too) - contributions from John MacDonald and Ian Williams - and finally an interview with Tamil pastor Hanson Manova conducted by Graham Field. I also went to a session with the Ulster based Peruvian academic Daniel Caballero, who has just completed his PhD on John Owen. Part of the fun on these days is meeting old friends. Lots and lots of those today. Unusually my wife Eleri was around as she  had agreed to man the Go Teach stall for much of the time. Great time.

10 Nuclear Powers

1. United States
2. Russia (formerly part of the Soviet Union)
3. United Kingdom
4. France
5. China
6. India
7. Pakistan
8. North Korea

9. Israel (so they say)

10. We don't know who else - Iran?

Words Farrukh Dhondy's private babel

I was in a charity shop a few weeks back and I stumbled across a book called Words by Farrukh Dondhy. I recognised the name from wayback. When I trained as a teacher (yes, I trained as an English teacher many moons ago). I remember a book of short stories for young people he had back then (Come to Mecca). Anyway this little book was right up my street. A rambling sort of book, it consists of a series of musings on words and their meanings with special reference to the Indian subcontinent where Mr Dhondy lived before coming to England to study Kipling and so on. If I tell you that he has worked for Channel 4 you will nt be surprised to hear that he lets himself down badly on the language front at a certain points, which is a shame. The core of the book, however, is full of interest. There were several areas where my understanding of the whole matter advanced (for example I was aware that bungalow is Indian but I had not connected it to the word Bengali). A good find.

10 Cities that have changed their names

1. Bratislava (after 1783) in Slovakia was once better known as Pressburg (German name) or Pozsony (Hungarian name)

2. Tokyo (ie Eastern Capital since 1868) in Japan was once Edo

3. Oslo (since 1925) in Norway was once Christiania (1838) and Kristiania (1877) though Oslo is the orginal name.

4. Istanbul (the most common name for the city after 1928) in Turkey having once been known as Byzantium then Constantinople (from 330 AD)

5. Ho Chi Minh City (since 1976) in Vietnam was once Prey Nokor  and Gia Định and Saigon

6. Harare (since 1982) in Zimbabwe was once Salisbury (and the country was called Rhodesia)

7. Volgograd (since 1961) was once Tsaritsyn (1589-1925) and Stalingrad (1925-1961)

8. Nuuk (ie Cape since 1979) in Greenland was once Godthaab and Godthåb

9. Chennai (since 1996) in India was once Madras

10. Polokwane (since 2005) in South Africa was once Pietersburg

10 oldest countries in the world

This is highly debatable I suppose but here's a stab.

1. Egypt 3,150 – 3,500 BC King Menes started this country and also started a reign of pharaohs that ruled the country for over three thousand years. The great Pyramids and the Sphinx remain as testament to this country’s ancient history.

2. India 3,000 BC This country was established by a civilization that started in the Indus valley and has since expanded to be today, the seventh biggest by area and the second biggest by population. In its history, India has given the world calculus and other mathematical formulae.

3. Ethiopia 2,500 – 3,000 BC This country is famous for its wilderness but evidence shows from ancient Egyptian texts, that it was one of its biggest trading partners and actually names the country. 

4. China 2,100 – 1,600 BC It is believed that the Xia Dynasty was the first in China as there is no evidence of an earlier one. Some of this country’s history can be seen by a visit to The Great Wall of China or The Forbidden City in Beijing.

5. Iran 625 – 559 BC This country that would later become the birth place of the Persian Empire was started by the unification of the local tribes by Medes. Some historical sites are Qom and Persepolis.

6. San Marino 301 AD This city state may be one of the smallest countries in the world but that does not mean that it is not also one of the oldest. It was established by St Marinus who settled there to avoid persecution. Some of itshistory can be witnessed by looking at the old Walls of San Marino.

7. France 486 AD There are many historical sites in this country which has had such an influence on the rest of Europe. It was first established by a unification made by Clovis the first king of France.

8. Bulgaria 632 AD The first Bulgarian Empire was established with Pliska as its capital by Asparukh. Some of its historical sites include the Rila monastery and the Kazanuk Tomb. It has more recently been linked with the invention of the first electrical computer. 

9. Japan 660 AD The Japanese nation is said to have been started by its first Emperor, Jimmu. The country is rich in history and perhaps the best place to witness some of that history is at Himeji Castle.

10. Turkey 900 AD This country was established on the sight of the Trojan War by the Seljuk dynasty of Turks as they migrated and later became the birth place of the Ottoman Empire.

(Greece is not here because it was split between Macedonia and Greek city states. Hungary adn Armenia are sometimes listed.)

10 well known Indian born Brits

1. George Orwell (Eric Blair), writer, Motihari 1903

2. Spike Milligan (Terence Alan Milligan), comedian, Ahmednagar 1918

3. Kenneth Kendall, newsreader, 1924

4. Alasdair Milne, politician, 1930

5. Gerald Durrell writer Jamshedpur 1925 (and his brother Lawrence)

6. Engelbert Humperdinck, (Arnold George Dorsey), singer, Madras 1936

7. Cliff Richard (Harold Rodger Webb), singer, Lucknow 1940

8. Pete Best (Randolph Peter Scanland), Beatles drummer, Madras 1941

9. Peter Sarstedt, singer, Delhi 1941 (and his brothers Clive and Richard [Eden Kane])

10. Joanna Lumley, actress, Srinagar 1946

Jhumpa Lahiri

Looking at books in my local Waterstones the other day I saw a book I knew was on my shelves so back home I pulled it down and started to read. It is a book of nine short stories by the American based Bengali Asian writer Jhumpa Lahiri. The collection actually goes back to the year 2000 but I am rather slow at getting round to things. Some neighbours of mine saw me reading it and were very enthusiastic about it. The stories are gentle and well written and coming from a culture I am not so familiar with have a certain impact beyond the obvious. Perhaps the best done, apart from the title piece Interpreter of maladies is When Mr Pirzada came to dine a childhood reminiscence from the time of the India Pakistan war concerning Bangla Desh. Well worth digging out.

Through many hardships

I led a funeral at the church last Tuesday, the third we have had had this year, which is unusually high for us. The dear lady was a good age. She grew up in Sri Lanka and India but lived most of her life here. I was glad to be involved. I couldn't take the last one as I was unwell. I preached from Acts 14:22 and the phrase about needing to pass through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, as this lady had gone through some real struggles for which she was not always prepared. I felt very tired after the service and the burial and so on. I guess it is emotionally draining. Death is a horrible thing even for the believer.

Palmist

Chirologie, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

I was walking along the Kilburn High Road when a man from South India asked me if I would like a palm reading. I told him I didn't and that I didn't believe that such things were true although no doubt he was a very good reader of people and could tell me things about myself that others may not be able to. So as a test I asked him to guess my age. He looked at me for a moment and said 54. Spot on! My point is that he didn't get that from looking at my palm but just being a discerning fellow with a  gift from God. I suppose the difficulty is how you make money out of telling people their age.

Plus ça change

I came across this remark in Jan Dalley's The Black Hole where she writes about the economic situation in 19th century India (which then included Pakistan and Bangla Desh). After describing the way the odds were stacked against the ordinary worker on the shop floor she says

"It was hardly surprising, given the number of people in this chain, each making a profit from the weaver's work, that the weavers themselves should be in terrible poverty."

The Rise of the Indian Rope Trick

I like do head down unbeaten paths sometimes. The Rise of the Indian Rope Trick by Peter Lamont is a thorughly researched but popularly written book first published in 2004. It interestingly charts the history of what is often thought of as the best known magic trick of all. Fact being stranger than fiction the story is not quite what one might think. It does give some sort of explanation as to what the trick is but that is not where the intertest really lies. The Wikipedia article here is good but the links I tried were out of date.

Lamont's personal website is here.

Death of Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar has died at the age of 92. Perhaps he was most famous as George Harrison's sitar teacher but he had his own career in the west and is also the father of Norah Jones. I remember buying Transmigration Macabre in my teens or early twenties. This track has always been my favourite. It is truly beautiful. As for metempsychosis, as Mr Shankar now knows, it is not so.

Leprosy and blindness

Among those that OW want us to pray for in India today are two categories with staggering statistics:

Leprosy sufferers, of which there are 150,000 new cases every year. Leprosy originated in India. It still possesses the majority of the world’s cases, and there are over 1,000 leper colonies in India. Christian agencies work with them, in particular TLM (18 leprosy hospitals and around 100 projects).

[Wikipedia says leprosy currently affects approximately a quarter of a million people throughout the world, with 70% of these cases occurring in India. Cases there have decreased dramatically from 5,000,000 cases in 1985 to 213,000 cases in 2009. This significant decrease is largely due to the effectiveness of multi-drug therapy (MDT) that was developed in 1981. The prevalence of leprosy in India is now less than 1 case in 10,000 individuals, meeting the WHO criteria for leprosy elimination. Yet the WHO criterion for elimination is not met in all areas of the country; rural areas and urban slums continue to experience up to five times the number of leprosy cases as the national average.]

The blind. As many as 15 million people in India are blind (and another 50 million visually impaired) – this is nearly 40% of the world’s total. Of these cases, 70% would be preventable were there sufficient doctors and optometrists. Braille is an under-utilized tool. Agencies with ministry to blind people are Mission to the Blind, India Fellowship for Visually Handicapped and Torch Trust for the Blind. Compass Braille is an agency specializing in producing Braille Scriptures in Indian languages by means of computer. Christian audio resources such as Megavoice, Proclaimer and others are vital for reaching and discipling India's blind people.

10 biggest employers worldwide

The world's largest employers, 2012
Employer	Employees	Headquarters
United States Department of Defense	3.2 million (including civilians)	United States
People's Liberation Army	2.3 million (not including civilians)	People's Republic of China
Walmart	2.1 million	United States
McDonald's	1.9 million (including franchises)	United States
National Health Service	1.7 million	United Kingdom
China National Petroleum Corporation	1.6 million	People's Republic of China
State Grid Corporation of China	1.5 million	People's Republic of China
Indian Railways	1.4 million	India
Indian Armed Forces	1.9 million	India
Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn)	1.2 million	Taiwan

I found this on Wikipedia

Pray for Asia

Operation World urges us to pray today for Asia

Answer to Prayer

China is in the midst of amazing changes. Beyond the economic shift that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, beyond the positive changes that the further opening of the country has brought, the Church in China is signalling a massive change in this, the world’s largest population. Christians in China now almost certainly exceed 100 million. They are present in all regions of the country and come from all walks of life. They love their country and have ambitious visions to see it transformed by the power of the gospel. The government, traditionally a ruthless persecutor of the Church, now recognizes the positive social impact Christians can make and increasingly accepts the reality that the Church in China is there to stay – and will play a major role in shaping the country’s future.
For an additional 8 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Challenge for Prayer

The Himalayas region simmers with tension. The conflict over Kashmir is the most intractable of problems, with Pakistan and India (and China) holding conflicting claims over territory. The Kashmir dispute has profoundly shaped Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policies, has provoked an arms race between Pakistan and India and has already resulted in four wars. China and India are in dispute over territorial claims not just in Kashmir but also in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Strife also exists over India’s hosting of the Tibetan government-in-exile and in Tibet itself. Add to this the Nepal Civil War of 1996-2006 (and continuing tensions), and you have a region filled with potential flashpoints.
For an additional 8 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

Christmas Books

One of the joys of Christmas is getting books as gifts. I did well this year with about eight altogether plus a Big book of Knowlege from one of my sons. There's not been muchtime to read them so far. They are

1. Britannica Guide to India
2. The Pedant's return
3. Giles Collection 2012 (cartoons)
4. The Litigators John Grisham
6. The Lives of the novelists John Sutherland
7. The Holy Spirit Geoff Thomas
8. Ministry by his grace and for his glory in honour of Tom Nettles

Anti-St Valentines

There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding the gospel. Some things some of us hardly realise are causing problems. I was reminded recently of an example.

Back in February this year activists of the Hindu Makkal Katchi, a regional party in Tamil Nadu, protested against the celebration of the Valentine's Day and warned locals to refrain from all celebrations in Coimbatore. The party's activists were apparently seen demonstrating by raising slogans and tearing Valentine's Day cards. "We are protesting against the cultural exploitation because of Valentine's Day, which is being celebrated by lovers, who have engaged themselves in uncultured manner in public places in the name of Valentine's Day," Prabhu, a protestor, said. "We strongly condemn this act and today, we are stating this protest by destroying these greeting cards," he added.

It was also officially banned in Iran this year and is regulalry opposed by religious police in Saudi Arabia.