Three Films

To go with my three disparate books, three films seen recently.

1. Parasite. Went to see this with my film student son, down in London for a few days. I can't recommend it due to language and themes touched on but it was interesting to find out what the fuss has been about. (It won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the first Korean film to ever do so). Based in Korea, it follows the fortunes of a poor family (the Kims) as they work themselves in with a wealthy family (the Parks) in the suburbs. It then takes a surprising turn but manages to stay convincing. Quite Hitchcockian, I understand, it had a beginning, a middle and an end and one can forgive a lot when that is so. Apparently the director likes to explore the theme of class differences. Scholar stones are a Korean thing and I didn't really follow that element of the film. BTW ramdon is a made up name for jjapaguri.

2. Aeronauts. On Friday night my wife and I watched this on Netflix. It is not at all accurate historically and I didn't find it very interesting to be honest but watched to the end.

3. Call of the wild. This is about a dog and my youngest son was keen to see this. We got there slightly late (due to the rugby) but I don't think we missed much. It was an enjoyable film, although I have mixed feelings about cgi which doesn't look realistic. I have tried to read Jack London's book and I am not sure how faithful this latest version is but it really is pretty far fetched from what I know of dogs. Anyway my son was pleased.

A day off for reading, etc

I kept my usual day off this week, a Tuesday. Monday was tough for some reason, a typical minister's Monday. I was glad to have a proper day out, therefore. My main thing today was reading. I finished three books - a book on British Kings and Queens which I have been reading for a while, the biography of John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival on kindle and a novel by the Korean writer Han Kang The white book. I'll write more about them another time. I didn't do much walking (I failed to do 10000 steps) just sat and drank coffee. Practically, I also arranged a plumber to come and do a job for us and started measuring for some blinds I need to buy. I did a little blogging too and in the evening Eleri and I watched a TV drama for an hour.

This half-wore black arm

I have at least one Korean friend on Facebook. All her posts are in Korean and I can't so much as read a letter. No problem, though, as at the click of the mouse I get a translation from Bing. So now I understand .... ???? She posted recently (in translation)

 

In this weather, in this half-wore black arm, I don't know why. Cold.

 

Also

 

One of my favorites, the professor said. Study was so tired when I look in the mirror and get the front teeth shake and voilá. If you are going to grow a decent shake, which is further study. To Ah.

 

Where would be without Bing?

Hyenseo Lee Video

I have been reading about North Korea recently. This video is of a former resident of that evil place - not a Christian as far as I am aware. This 12 minute video was produced in the USA recently.

Some Prayer Requests

Malinke Tribes (W Africa). Did you read your Bible this morning? Most Malinke people didn’t. Those who did probably read it in a trade language like Bambara or French. Most of the Malinke subgroups we are praying for this month need their own Bible translation. Once that is accomplished, someone can produce other Christian materials in their languages as well.
As you read this, there is a team working on a Bible translation for one of the Malinke peoples. A good part of their time is spent taking care of daily business of cooking, cleaning, educating the children, and building relationships with Malinkes. Unlike you and me, they face the daily challenges of living in an African town where electricity is not available, so they have to rely on solar power.
To do what they are doing requires a tremendous amount of perseverance. It will take many years to complete this Bible translation, and even when the work is done, there is no guarantee that people will accept it or read it.
In addition, the Bible translation team has faced significant spiritual opposition over the years, causing the work to be slow and threatening its continued progress.

Zimbabwe. Around the world there are 16 million children under the age of 18 who have lost one or both parents Zimbabwe alone has an astonishing 1 million children orphaned by AIDS. Please pray for children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, whether they are living with the disease or have lost parents from it. Of these children, barely one quarter attend school. Pray that their communities would be able to care for them and give them access to basic needs such as food, education and health care.

Korea. In August 2011 a South Korean pastor died in a suspected poison needle attack after smuggling runaways from North Korea to safety. Christians in North Korea are thought to number at least 400,000, but they are cruelly persecuted: they live in constant danger of imprisonment and torture in the regime’s notoriously brutal labour camps, and even of execution. Those who try to help them escape across the border do so at the risk of their lives. Pray for deliverance for our brothers and sisters in their distress, and that the Lord will protect those Christians in neighbouring countries who reach out to help them.

North Korea

The Barnabas Fund say

It is estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 Christians in North Korea are currently in the country’s brutal labour camps. A recent report from a major human rights organisation states that according to former detainees, prisoners are forced to work in conditions close to slavery and are frequently subjected to torture and other cruelties. All the prisoners from one of the camps who were interviewed said that they had witnessed public executions. Food is scarce, and the report refers to people eating rats or picking corn kernels out of animal waste in order to survive. Pray for all Christians incarcerated in the camps, that the Lord will strengthen them to endure their intense suffering. Pray too for a more lenient government in North Korea.

Nigerian funeral

Most of my day has been spent at a funeral that I was taking part in. I know one or two Nigerian families that have a London base though they spend varying amounts of time in Africa. I have known well respected and now retired Chief Achimugu and his large Igala speaking family since I first came to the church here. I'd not met many Africans before them and it was wonderful to get to know him and his large family. Because the family are rather spread between here and Nigeria it took a while to get to know everyone's name and I'm still not always 100% sure which name goes with which person!

A little over 20 years ago we learned that another baby was on the way – in fact it was twins! Like most of my own and unlike their Nigerian born siblings, Timothy and Martha were born in the Royal Free Hospital.

In my mind, those births only seem a month or two ago. Because I haven't seen Timothy and Martha that often, it's like a series of snapshots in my mind. First, they are newborn babies (she with earrings, him not), then toddlers, then there around 5 or 6, then 9 and suddenly teenagers and so recently a lovely young woman and a smart young man. And I assumed I would go on collecting snapshots as the two became older. However a few short months ago Timothy contracted a virulent form of cancer and died just under two weeks ago.

The whole family are professing believers and it was a privilege to be present at the burial where they sought to express their great grief and their absolute confidence in God. One of the sons, Emmanuel, had worked out a careful programme of hymns (Rock of ages, Great is Thy faithfulness, etc) readings and tributes. The UK chaplain for the Anglican Church of Nigeria Canon Ben Enwuchola led, family members spoke and read, I preached and a Charismatic pastor led in prayer (the only jarring note for me was the round of applause for Jesus - those after the tributes are simply cultural). We used the south chapel at Hendon Cemetery then proceeded to the interment, where I prayed and read Psalm 23. It was the most distressing moment especially for Mrs Achimugu. The earlier tributes brought me to tears. Martha is 21 in April. The idea of facing such an unknown is hard to imagine.

We then headed back to the chapel here where food had been laid on. I enjoyed the opportunity to eat fried plantain, jollof rice, puff puff, etc and to drink Supermalt, as well as talk with the family members and some of their many friends. Chief Achimugu spoke again later, full of faith and full of Scripture. It was a privilege to be there.

(I left as most people were going. I think we avoided a clash with our Korean friends who meet at the church two Thursday evenings a month - I love being in London!).

LTS End of Term

It's been a beautifully sunny day today, a sun day on a Saturday we might say. Some old friends from the school joined us with their three girls for lunch in the garden. Sian taught some of our kids in the Welsh School before becoming a parent herself and then more recently moving back to North Wales. Ian's a Londoner and they typify my contention that opposites attract (and so why do dating agencies try matching by finding common interests?). For example, last night she was watching Bryn Fon while he was at a 25th anniversary Billy Bragg concert! (What do you mean 25th anniversary of what?)

Anyway, after that it was straight up to Finchley for the annual LTS end of year get together. Graham Harrison chaired and retiring Principal Philip Eveson read and prayed while the new Principal Robert Strivens reported and briefly interviewed each of the 14 leaving students, leaving Welshman Will Powell to do the thank yous that are usually covered in a more bitty way.

Besides Will there were three British leavers (Simon Hook Crowborough, Philip Jones Welwyn Gdn City and Craig Whale Hadleigh, Suffolk) plus South African Evan King, now based in Burwell, Cambridgeshire.

From overseas there were two Africans, two Koreans, and one each from Burma, Nagaland in India, the Philippines, Poland and Honduras.

La Nu Mawng has been attending with us throughout his time and leaves Monday to return to his family and the extensive ministry of his church at home in Myanmar. You can see him above with Principal Strivens and with several (though not all) of the people present from Childs Hill.

The preacher was an ex-LTS man Edward Malcolm, chairman of the PTS's Kensit Memorial Trust, who have paid for the new library and lecture rooms on site, which were open for inspection on the day. He spoke very helpfully from the parable of the talents on being a servant, calling especially for zeal to do Christ's will and to persevere in it.

It is always good to meet old friends on the lawn over food and drink afterwards, even if you can't immediately remember who they all are. A perverse part of me also enjoys the way as the day wears on they begin announcing the registration numbers of cars blocking others in. It always reminds me of the calling out of raffle numbers at more secular gatherings of the sort.

Several of the men had a good idea of what is next. Others are unsure. We should pray for them all and for the ongoing work of the seminary.

Poetry and pizza

Eleri and the youngest boys headed off to Wales on Friday afternoon (for an eisteddfod and to pass on 4 of our 11 rabbits - did I mention that there had been a second litter?) so when I came in from the GPT meeting it was just me and the middle boys here. (As I mentioned GPT very kindly gave us all copies of the newest books Frank Allred's brilliantly titled Just by believing and the new edition of John Hall's book of 12 Bible basic studies which I am hoping to get someone to study with me.) We sent out to Pizza Hut for a stuffed crust pizza - very nice. Then it was of to clubs at chapel which went off quite well despite a shortage of staff. I spoke on the lost sons.

On Saturday morning we had a clean up day which was quite well attended (thanks to our Korean friends and our two LTS men). We made good progress on lots of things. A chapel is lke ahome - always things to clean and tidy and fix. Then there was rugby all afternoon, which I kept coming in and out for in the midst of preparations for the Lord's Day. I watched most of the Welsh game. It's hard to begrudge the Irish their win after 61 years (our name is Brady so we must be part Irish anyway) and they were the better team. So we are forced back to 'as long as we beat the English' sadly. At least we were well disciplined and in with a shout.

Gwion returned in triumph. He had been reciting a poem (Un funud fach - see below - something about a child bored out shopping with his mam) in the Urdd prelims and was considered good enough to enter the national competition - he is the best for his age in the whole world at it (excluding Wales) - I guess that last bit is important to add.

The Lord's Day was good. I preached on the transfiguration. We had one of the deacons and his wife here for lunch. When we read the Bible after lunch it was the bit about deacons and their wives in 1 Timothy - ironic. They joined Rhods and I for a nice walk before the evening meeting (on Abraham in Hebrews 11). Eleri was beginning to go down with a cold by the end of the day. We'd marked Mother's Day with cards and gifts. I prayed for mothers in church but we don't mark it any other way.

Suddo i nyth clyd
y soffa hufen
a’m byd yn gartwnau gwyllt
ond daw llais Mam fel drudwen
i bigo’r lluniau o’m llygaid
‘Tyrd! Cwyd!
Allan â ni.’
Ac allan â mi
i siopa.

Codi hediad a mynd
Dilyn y lli
yn un haid,
yn un dorf,
o un siop i’r llall.
‘Un funud fach fydda i,’
Meddai hi.

Cyfir’r craciau yn y palmant
a sylwi ar bapurach fel hen blu
yn hel yn y gwter.
Ceir yn ymlwybro fel pryfed genwair
yn y maes parcio –
a hen wynt main
yn gwneud i mi grynu
ar y silff ffenast oer.
Troi
Ac mae hi’n dal i bigo mynd
Heibio rêls y dillad
yn sbaena, yn cyffwrdd y defnyddia
yn codi’r hangyr, sbio
a’i roi yn ei ôl.
Mae bagiau plastig
sy’n barod i ddodwy
yn fy mhasio

a finna yn ysu ysu
am fynd ‘nôl
i’r nyth clyd hwnnw
ar y soffa.

(Gan Rhian Sanson)

Korean New Year

We were being made aware today that it is Chinese New year, that is to say that it is the beginning of the Lunar Year. This fact is noted not just by the Chinese but by people throughout the east and beyond, including Koreans.

Since the beginning of the year a Yangmoory Church congregation has been meeting in our church on Sunday afternoons for Korean services. Although we are a Baptist church we are Reformed in our theology and as the church is committed to the Westminster Standards we were very happy to have them work alongside us like this. Today was an opportunity to join them as they welcomed in the new year. As a special kindness to us much of the afternoon was conducted in English, which we appreciated.

From 2-3 pm there was a service. Pastor Horace Shon preached appropriately from 2 Cor 5:16-19 on The new resolutions of the new man. The hymns (words and tunes) were conservative as we like them. (We sang one hymn to God save the Queen, which I guess is an American thing).

After the service there was a celebration as various departments and individuals presented items of song and dance. (I'd never seen Korean dance before - very graceful). It was a short but happy programme. We ended with an adapted version of the traditional Korean song Arirang arirang. I managed to say 'Happy new year' in Korean (after a fashion) which was appreciated.

We were then ushered into the back room for a truly magnificent spread of mostly Korean foods (Kimchi, spring rolls, beef bogoli, noodles, rice balls, etc). What a happy time.

I was glad that a number of our congregation were able to join the Korean friends. The church was packed. I am getting to know one or two, including two LTS students. I spoke to a young lady who is studying flower arranging and another who is one a leading Yo!Sushi chef. They do 117 varieties of sushi I learned. (Gim-bahp Koreans call it).

Being a pastor in London brings many benefits. One of them is to see how many people, of different nationalities God is calling to himself in these days. Pastor Horace Shon and his team are godly people. It is a blessing to know them. I'd recommend Horace's blog to you but it is all in Korean.

[Brief Wikipedia article here. Pics - Greetings (out of date I think) Pastor Horace]