Gracelife Summer Institute 2019 Day 3

Another good day down in Clerkenwell. We only had one slot of Rick Holland today on Romans 8:28 as he graciously stepped aside for Paul Washer who is still taking it comparatively easy with his health issues. Always challenging. Paul Johnson spoke for the first time today - twice - and was very helpful both times from 1 John 4:10 and 1 Corinthians 1:21. He began the latter evening session, appropriately, with his testimony, which can be found here in another form. There was also another good question and answer session. It is quite difficult for Americans to bridge the gap to our situation here but with a little aptitude one could modify the answers given I guess. Nice talking to various people during the day once again.

Book on Beddome Coming Soon

It's been a long time in the making but a new academic book on  Beddome is coming soon.

Midweek Meeting August 7 2019

We were only four last night and one was late. Lots away at the moment. We looked at Psalm 130 and then prayed in turn - we must have prayed for twenty minutes I guess. Lots to pray for. Glad those who came did come.

Gracelife Summer Institute 2019 Day 2

Another really good day yeseterday. Owen Strachan continued his strand on male and female. I liked the way he carefully nuanced what he said about male and female without saying some of unhelpful things that can sometimes sneak through when the roles of men and women are discussed. Rick Holland has had quite some trouble getting to England so it was good to see he has finally arrived. I do not know this gentleman at all but it was good to hear him begun to open up on Romans 8:28 - such a crucial verse (I had to miss the second of his two sections as I needed to be back in Childs Hill). We also had a good if rambling question and answer session.

Gracelife Summer Institute 2019 Day 1

Most often I spend the first week in August in Wales but this week I am in London attending the Gracelife Summer Institute in Clerkenwell. We had a good full day in a packed church - warm but bearable. In the end, slightly outside the original plan, Tom Drion led us off very well from Matthew 5:10 giving many examples of the trouble Christians are getting into these days when they take a stand for the truth. That set the tone well for the conference theme - remaining steadfast. During the day they played a message from John Macarthur to the conference and then, at different times, we heard two messages on Romans 1  - one here.  It is not an ideal set up but one understands how this has happened. We heard live from Paul Washer preaching from Daniel on Antiochus Epiphanes and other matters. I have not met or heard Paul Washer before so it was good to be there. We also had two sessions from Owen Strachan of CBMW. See here. I only knew three or four people here before coming but it has been good to meet others. Most people here are not ministers. Most are from the church here. We are quite ethnically diverse and dominated by under-40s. A very good day.

10 More Scots Football Teams

1. Albion Rovers
2. Airdrieonians
3. Brechin City
4. Falkirk
5. Morton
6. Partick Thistle
7. Queen of the South.
8. Queen's Park
9. Raith Robers
10. St Johnstone
11. Stenhousemuir

10 Scots Football Teams

The beginning of a new football season has set my mind back on getting a new poster or whatever at the strt of the season with all those Scottish teams on it. Most of the names mean nothing to me but I haave onderful feelings of nostalgia for them.

1. Alloa Athletic
2. Berwick Rangers
3. Cowdenbeath
4. Dunfermline Athletic
5. East Stirlingshire
6. Forfar Athletic
7. Hamilton Academicals
8. Montrose
9. Raith Rovers
10. St Mirren

Lord's Day August 4 2019

We began with communion and then I preached morning and evening on Hebrews 9:22 about the blood of Christ and Matthew 26:47-56 about Jesus's arrest. I thought I might have done better in the morning but it was good to be laying down clearly that it is the blood of Christ alone that can save us. Lots missing as ever, one visitor, plenty of people all told. Good to be there. Spoke to the children about adoption. Started the New City Catechism in the evening and remembered to mention the memory verse at the beginning of the month.

Rice Noodles Yum

I've not read this book but it arrived in our house recently and my wife is enjoying it.

The author is married to a former assistant here.

More here.

See also here.

Helpful Jim Packer Book on Old age

Jim Packer's last book came out in 2014. It's called Finishing our course with joy and is subtitled Ageing with hope (by the by Ageing is the British spelling; I think the content is in American or Canadian spelling). I have mentioned it before but this is an attempt todraw attention to it once again. It is aimed at people slightly older than myself but I found it helpful as I approach retirement or whatever. The thesis is that as we approach old age people tell us to slow down, take it easy, etc. Packer says no. If you have an eternal perspective you will not take that approach. I found his arguments surprisingly helpful. I have not entirely enjoyed turning 60 and this book helped me to see that my problem is exactly this impetus to wind down. Packer argues well that this is not the way forward. The book is not long and the publishers (IVP) have thoughtfully printed it in large print.

How Can I Aim to Please God in Everything?

My father-in-law has a little booklet out with Reformed Heritage Books called How Can I Aim to Please God in Everything? It simply sets out the importance of faith and then says that we must go on to glorify God in all we do. The four examples he gives concern 

1. Being a faithful witness for his glory 

2. Going about our dauily duties in a godly way for his glory 

3. Keeping the Lord's Day to his glory 

4. By having a Christian hime that is for his glory 

The book is cram full of illustrations from nineteenth century missionaries and other sources. Really worth getting hold of.

The Old Rising Sun

Recently placed on one of my other blogs

There was a pub in Newport town

They called the Rising Sun

They changed it to the Harlequin;

It's now a restaurant.

My mother was a Thomas

She sewed my old blue jeans,

My father came from Corpor Road

They lived up in Cwmbran.

I once met gransha in that pub,

Into that haunt he'd slunk.

He looked so very satisfied,

He was a little drunk.

Oh mother tell your children

Why the name of Harlequin

Is still found on the roundabout

And how it was The Rising Sun

I have one foot on the platform

The other on a train

And I'm goin' back to Newport town,

It looks like it might rain.

Yeah, there was a pub in Newport town

They called The Rising Sun,

I remember it from when a boy

And I'm not the only one.

Preview Lord's Day August 4 2019

Midweek Meeting July 31 2019

Eight of us gathered last Wednesday. We are continuing to look at Psalms of ascent, looking this week at Psalm 129. So we re back to persecution but in a different way with plenty of references to Foxe's Book of Martyrs. I included this story of Roger Holland.

Somewhere near St John's Wood I think it was that some 40 gathered for worship. The meeting was interrupted and 27 were brought before Sir Roger Cholmly. Some women managed to escape but 22 were committed to Newgate and remained there seven weeks. The jail keeper explained to them all they needed to do to be released was to hear mass but this they could not do, so 13 were burnt, seven in Smithfield and six at Brentford (two others died in prison, the other seven survived). The seven who died in Smithfield were called Pond, Estland, Southam, Ricarby, Floyd, Holiday and Roger Holland. They were sent to Newgate, June 16 1558 and executed June 27.

Roger Holland, a merchant-tailor of London, was first an apprentice with one Master Kemption, at the Black Boy in Watling Street, giving himself to dancing, fencing, gaming, banqueting and wanton company. He had received for his master certain money, to the sum of £30 and lost it all at dice. This set him on escaping to the continent.

He shared this with a fellow servant in the house, Elizabeth, a believer. She had recently inherited a legacy and so she gave him £30 to cover the losses on condition that he reformed his way of life and come and hear the gospel preached and read the Bible, calling on God for grace in prayer.

Within six months Holland had become a zealous Christian and was used in the conversion of his father and others when he visited Lancashire. His father gave him £40 to start a business in London. He used this to repay Elizabeth and shortly after the two were married. It was the first year of Queen Mary. He was not martyred until the sixth and final year of her reign. He was among the last to die in Smithfield.

We had a good prayer time too.

Day off week 31 2019

This week's day off on Tuesday was quite people oriented, which is good. Early on I nipped over to Finchley in the car to see if I could help with our good friends moving to Crawley. As it turned out, it was limited what I could do but hopefully I was of some help. In the afternoon I ha a nice long chat with one of my sons on the 'phone. In the evening we had three friends from church around and after an excellent meal (my wife is a brilliant cook - moussaka this time) we enjoyed chatting until not too late. I also enjoyed doing some blogging and made a slight dent into the new Joel Beeke Systematic Theology from Crossway that has come out. I am through Section A of Part 1, the Prolegomena. Great stuff- clear, warm, nuanced, stimulating Scriptural. Managed to get out for a quick coffee and crossword too.