Day Off Week 28 2024

Some of the usuals this last Tuesday - reading, chipotle lunch, coffee, painting, cheese buying (Mayfield - very nice), TV in the evening.

Lord's Day July 7 2024

We began last Lord's day with communion and welcoming in two new Iranian members. I preached later on the end of Matthew 6 on not worrying. Good number there. A small congregation in the evening heard the final famous text message - on Romans 3:23.

10 Land Purchases that expanded the USA

https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/
mxojxn/purchased_territories_of_the_united_states/#lightbox

1. (Allegedly) Manhattan Island from Native Americans 1626 $24
2. The Louisiana purchase 9Louisiana and 14 other states) from France 1803 $15M
3. Florida purchased from Spain 1819 $5M
4. Mexican Cession from Mexico 1848 $15M
5. The Gadsden purchase from Mexico 1854 $10M
6. The Alaska purchase from Russia 1867 $7M200k
7. The Philippines purchased from Spain 1898 $20M
8. The Panama Canal zone from Panama 1903 $10k plus $250k annually
9. The Danish Virgin Islands purchased from Denmark 1917 $25M
10. Water Island, purchase from the East Asiatic Company (a private shipping company based in Denmark, at the time under German occupation) 1944 $19k

10 Common Pests

1. Ants (The commonest species that invades houses is the Black Garden Ant, which is actually very dark brown)
2. Bed bugs (This common pest once associated with unhygienic surroundings is prevalent due to a number of reasons, including increased travel, the use of second-hand furniture, and suspected tolerance to some pesticides. These bugs still occur with regularity, particularly in multi-occupancy buildings with rapid resident turnover, for example, hostels, hotels, holiday camps and blocks of flats.)
3. Cockroaches (Cockroaches are distinguished by their very long whip-like antennae, flat oval bodies and rapid, jerky walk.)
4. Deathwatch Beetle (A wood-boring beetle whose grubs eat old hardwood structural timbers. Practically common in stately homes in which the beetle family has probably lived since they were built.)
5. Fleas (The most common species of Flea is the Cat Flea, known for readily biting humans. The Bird Flea is next in importance, followed by the rare Dog Flea, although other species may become temporarily attached to dogs. Finally, there are Human Fleas which are extremely rare.)
6. Lice (Small, flat, wingless, grey parasites about 2mm long with strong claw legs and which feed on human blood. There are two distinct forms of this sort of louse - the head louse and the body louse, but they are similar in appearance.)
7. Mice (Hear the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps behind the skirting. Dos your cat bring mice in from the garden? Mice are a part of British wildlife - but when they take up residence with you, they can be a cause for concern.
8. Rats (There are two species of rat in Britain, Rattus Norvegicus which is commonly known as the Brown Rat or Common Rat. The Rattus Rattus, referred to as the Black Rat or Ship Rat is now rarely found in the UK.)
9. Ticks (Closely related to the mites, but much larger and reliant on vertebrate blood. They are occasionally brought into the house on domestic animals and can be picked up by humans after walking through long grass in an infested area. Ticks are implicated in the transmission of Lyme disease, and medical advice should be sought if a rash appears at the site of a bite. Remove them with a twist to avoid leaving the mouthparts in the skin.)
10. Wasps (Wasps are classified under the order Hymenoptera, which means membraneous wings. All the stinging insects belong to this group. Some Wasps live in Wasps nests in the UK.)

New Album from Focus

A new Focus album is officially released today. Like other recent albums its cover is graced with a pleasing piece of Roger Dean artwork. The opening two tracks - the tongue in cheek titled Fjord Focus and Focus 13 (yes 13, not 12) have been out for a while. These are the first two of a total of ten tracks, all written by our lead man Thijs van Leer, except for tracks 4-6 by the other members of the band. In reverse order - Born to be you is by Menno Gootjes, All Aboard is by Udo Pannekeet and Meta Indefinata is credited to drummer Pierre van der Linden, though it is not a drum track. As with any Focus album, it takes a while to get into what is going on but initial impressions are positive. All the tracks, as one might expect, are instrumental, although to have no vocals or voices at all is unusual if not unique. Acoustic guitar and flute are heard and plenty of piano and even may be some synthesisers appear. Uniquely, Bowie is a solo piano piece from van Leer. Born to be you is piano heavy too with no drums or bass as is the opening of Bela. One of the tracks was apparently completely improvised in the studio.

Gwion and Lydia Bonus Shot

 

Unruly by David Mtchell

As noted, this is another birthday book and I finished it today. It works through the monarchs of England from the beginning as far as Elizabeth I. The style is jocular but presumably accurate. The swearing and crudity is meant to be funny but I'm not sure it is and reminded me of the way some of my undergraduate lecturers would add a swear word to be in with the kids. It never worked. An enjoyable read and worth his doing I guess. His approach to the providence of God is interesting. He is very dismissive of those who see God's hand in events but offers no real alternative approach. The book filled me in on the bits of history I've missed over the years.

Pilgrim's Progress

Just over a year ago I was at the Art of Shepherding Conference in Islington and they were selling copies of the attractive Banner edition of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress at a good price and so I bought a copy. Not much happened for a while but then I adopted the current policy of trying to read through the classics bit by bit and so this morning I finished the second part. I have read this second part at least once before and it is very good though not as good as Part 1 which I have read several times. It is the sort of book worth reading several times in a lifetime. If not every year, every ten years at least. At present I am also reading The Holy War and one or two other things.

Midweek Meeting June 3 2024

Nine of us gathered on Wednesday to pray and to look at Romans 5:1, 2.  I had expected fewer. It would have been good if more had prayed. We were not together for long.

Day Off Week 27 2024

I managed to have a traditional day off this week. That is to say I did some reading (a small paperback - a biography of Leslie Land by Ian Shaw and a large hardback - Unruly by David Mitchell). I also went out for a coffee. There was also time to further one or two projects I am working on. I enjoyed the day.

10 Uniquely Nicknamed Parliaments

1. Model Parliament 1295 (a model for later parliaments)
2. Good Parliament 1376 (due to the sincere efforts by its members to reform the government)
3. Bad Parliament 1377 (because it undid the work of the Good Parliament)
4. Blessed Parliament 1604-1610 (the view of Londoners at least)
5. Addled Parliament 1614 (it passed no bills)
6. Useless Parliament 1625 (it transacted no significant business)
7. Short Parliament Apr 1640 (it lasted only three weeks)
8. Barebone's (Little or Saints') Parliament 1653 (Praise-God Barebone, MP for the City of London)
9. Cavalier (Pensioner) Parliament 1661-1679 (overwhelmingly royalist and the longest ever)
10. Loyal Parliament 1685 (at the outset most MPs were loyal to the new king, James II)

(The terms Convention, Long, Oxford and Rump are used for more than one Parliament. Also note the Mad Parliament 1258, Montfort's Parliament 1264, Parliament of Whitebands 1321, the Wonderful Parliament 1386, the Merciless Parliament 1388, the Unlearned or Dnces Parliament 1404, the Fire and Faggot Parliament 1414, the Black Parliament 1523)

Lord's Day June 30 2024

It was a joy to be in Alfred Place Baptist Church, Aberystwyth, morning and evening to hear my son Rhodri  preach two fine sermons on living in the light of the Second Coming and from Romans 6. Good to see so many out in the evening. The meetings were lead by a deacon and an elder.

Gwïon marries Lydia

It was a great joy to be with Gwïon and Lydia and everyone else for the wedding just outside Aberystwyth last Saturday. A really great day.

Sage advice from Dr Lloyd-Jones

This is from a letter written by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones that appears in a new biography of Leslie Land by Ian Shaw. He is telling Land how to deal with his depression. Much of it is counter-intuitive but is correct I am sure and can be a help to anyone in a similar conditon.

1. Your present trouble is only temporary. It is quite a common happening at your age and it will in no way affect you permanently. It is quite a common experience and one from which the patient invariably makes a full recovery. Do not analyse your symptoms. Still less be worried about them. Our nervous system can play all sorts of tricks with us and if we begin to consider each symptom we can become very worried. Avoid that. Just relax completely and give nature a chance.

2. Don't be in too much of a hurry. Reconcile yourself to the fact that for the time being you must do just nothing. That is the way to prepare for the future.

3. Do not think at all about the work at Leicester (Land was pastor of Melbourne Hall). It is God's, not yours, and he will care for it.

4. You will find that this experience will be most rewarding spiritually. It will bring you as it has brought me to rest more in the love and perfect wisdom of God. I am sure that He has something special for you in all this for which you will thank Him all your life. It will enrich your ministry.

Rest in him and abandon yourself entirely to him.

Carey 2025

The Carey Conference 2023 will be on January 7-9. There is a new venue - King's Park, Northampton. Speakers include Brooks Buser from America and Austin Walker.