Midweek Meeting June 4 2025

There were nine of us last Wednesday and uniquely though we were so few there were at least five of us present who could have taken the meeting. I say that because in addtion to myself and my assistant Eddie, who have both led the meeting many times and four church member regulars, we also had three visitors. A friend of mine, a German pastor called Stefan Beyer, is staying with us this week and could easily have told us about his work in Jena and/or led a Bible study. Further there was the dynamic duo J P and Fiona Earnest from Bangor who had both been at nearby London Seminary that day - Fiona doing the Flourish course for women and J P lecturing to the seminary students on evangelisitc work. J P, field operation manager for the Open Air Mission, would happily have told us about their work. They are in London next week adn will be at the derby in Epsom this weekend. Fiona is the UK Deputation and Communications Officer for the Albanian Evangelical Mission and would have happily told us all about the current work in Albania (which has been off our radar for 20 years I am afraid). Anyway what they got was a Bible study from me on Romans 8:29, 30 and then we all took turns to pray about the various things on our hearts.

Days Off Weeks 6-8 2022

"What's happened to your day off reports?" I hear you ask. Well, the truth is that I have been having plenty of time off over the last three weeks but it has been rather bitty due to circumstances.

Week 6 (February 7-13) we had a German friend, Stefan Beyer, staying with us and so I spent time chatting with him and on two evenings we had guests over. He also led our Wednesday night meeting so I did not need to prepare for that in the same way. On the Wednesday morning, we walked up to and onto Hampstead Heath and then had a look inside Kenwood House. Always good to see those paintings, now including the Suffolk Collection, which if not composed of very good or famous pictures is at least historically interesting.

Then the next week, Week 7 (February 14-20) was pencilled in for my two days of the week off, which were to be spent in Wales. As it turned out the storm meant it was wiser to leave London on the Thursday so it was on that afternoon that Owain and I headed off from Paddington. I can't remember when I was last on a train. When we got to Cardiff we took a train up to Llandaf, where Eleri picked us up. She had been in Aber for the week. We stayed with my middle son. His daughter turned one recently and Owain was 21 so we celebrated those birthdays with a pizza evening at Eleri's sister's on the Friday, after twelve of them played football (not including me) and a gathering at the Emmanuel church on the Saturday morning. In between times, there was time to catch up with family and friends. Great time. Got to see my sister and her husband too as their flight to N Ireland was cancelled. We came home to a blown over front garden fence.

Then this week, Week 8 (Feb 21-27) my Uncle Peter, now 80, flew in from Canada yesterday and so we spent time with him. My sister and I picked him up from Heathrow and we spent a chunk of the day here drinking coffee and chatting. He is my dad's youngest brother, one of only two surviving uncles on either side. His wife sadly died last year. He lives on Vancouver Island.

Day off week 26 2019

My day off this week was fine. Eleri was in work then had the women's meeting at church - not ideal. I'm planning to go to the Benjamin Franklin museum but it is not open on Tuesdays. No dog to look after but I took a little walk and had a coffee. I like to read Private Eye which comes out fortnightly. For once I got hold of it on a Tuesday and read it through - the ideal pattern. I also read a book by Jim Packer I bought last week - Finishing our course with joy. According to Packer, I'm five years too early for a book like this but I found it helpful. His main point is that as you get older people want you to just relax and put your feet up but he says no. I think it is this that has been annoying me as I've reached sixty. Good stuff (and in larger print!). We have our friend from Germany Stefan here again. He has been enjoying the EMA, which is in Westminster Chapel this year. Good to catch up with him in the evening.

A nice postcard

A friend in Germany sent me the above postcard at the end of last year. He had been in Switzerland and had found my commentayr on Proverbs among some other purchases. The book has a new cover these days and is in its second edition. I believe EP are committed to keeping the Welwyn seriees in print. it's good to be found in the company of Ryle, Spring, etc. Thanks Stefan.

European visitor

Adding to the interest of last week's momentous events was having a new German friend. Stefan Beyer pastors a young man we have met when he has been in this country on previous occasions. Stefan came over for the Proclamation Trust's EMA in the Barbican Centre, staying with us either end of that time. It was great to get to know Stefan a little and about his church near Leipzig. I did get to the EMA for one day (the Wednesday) and was a little disappointed. I did enjoy Robin Weekes on contentment. It was a very warm and experiential message. At other times, the conference does seem to find it difficult to integrate doctrine and practice. There seems to be a veering from Hypercalvinism to Arminianism. Good people though and it was great to meet old friends.