The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

10 people who played saxophone on Beatles Tracks



  1. Harry Klein, saxophonist; session musician. Contributed saxophone to "Honey Pie" and baritone saxophone to "Lady Madonna" and "Savoy Truffle"
  2. Rex Morris, session musician. Contributed tenor saxophone to "All You Need Is Love"; saxophone to "Honey Pie"
  3. Alan Branscombe, saxophonist; session musician. Contributed tenor saxophone to "Got to Get You into My Life"
  4. Barrie Cameron, Alan Holmes, David Glyde, saxophonists; session musicians. Contributed saxophones to "Good Morning Good Morning"[
  5. Peter Coe, saxophonist; session musician. Contributed tenor saxophone to "Got to Get You into My Life"
  6. Derek Collins, Art Ellefson, Danny Moss, saxophonists; session musicians. Contributed tenor saxophones to "Savoy Truffle"
  7. Bernard George, Ronnie Ross, saxophonists; session musicians. Contributed baritone saxophones to "Savoy Truffle"
  8. Ronald Chamberlain, Dennis Walton, saxophonists; session musicians. Contributed saxophone to "Honey Pie" (DW also played flute and piccolo on "Penny Lane")
  9. Don Honeywill, saxophonist; session musician. Contributed tenor saxophone to "All You Need Is Love"
  10. Bill Povey., Ronnie Scott, session musicians. Contributed tenor saxophones to "Lady Madonna" (BP also played trombone on "Revolution")

Midweek Meeting April 26 2023

 


We were about 9 on Zoom last night. We looked at the next part of Galatians and then spent time in prayer. Most people prayed. It was good to be together once again.

Lord's Day April 23 2023


We had a lovely fellowship meal together last Sunday following the morning meeting. We must have been aboiut forty altigether. I'd preached on meals (from Luke 14:7-14) in the morning service as it turned out. We were a smalle number in the evening when I took Deuteronomy33:27 as my text. There is a lot to encourage us at the present time.

10 'Secret' Societies


I've been reading about this recently. There ar eloads of these of diferent sorts. This is just a smattering.
  1. Assassins
  2. Freemasons
  3. Rosicrucians
  4. Odd Fellows
  5. Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes
  6. Opus Dei
  7. P2
  8. Hellfire Club
  9. Mafia
  10. Skull and Bones

10 Christian Brothers Who Served


This post was prompted by a new book on the Brainerds by Mack Tomlinson that I hope to say more about soon. If you can think of others please comment.
  1. Basil the Great (330–379) of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395)
  2. Ebenezer (1680-1754) and Ralph Erskine (1685-1752)
  3. John (1703-1791) and Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
  4. John (1720-1781) and David Brainerd (1718-1747)
  5. Thomas (1755-1814) and David Charles (1762-1834)
  6. Robert (1768-1851) and James Haldane (1764-1842)
  7. James Waddell (1804-1859) and Joseph Addison Alexander (1809-1860)
  8. Seth (1858-1925) and Frank Joshua (1861-1920)
  9. Stephen (1876-1943) and George Jeffreys (1889-1962)
  10. Bert (1925-2012) and Jim Elliot (1927-1956)
(In the Bible you obviously have Peter and Andrew and James and John and perhaps Luke and Titus)

From my Books by Gary Brady blog

I just posted this here


After some difficulties getting there, a slim new book is now in the process of being prepared for publication. The publisher is Day One and the subject is the priesthood of all believers. We are thankful to God that this is now happening. We will keep you posted as things progress.

Focus at Bush Hall West London April 20 2023


Shortly after arriving home from the conference I headed out again to West London, to a new venue for me, where Focus were playing - Bush Hall. Bush Hall is a lovely old building and it was an all seater gig. Not good with numbers but several hundred filled the place, with few empty spaces. Nice to meet Elias Weine Weg who had come all the way from Norway to be there. Some nice old geezers did a semi-acoustic blues to set things on their way. Then came the mighty Focus - on form with their usual set. The only surprise all evening was when one of Menno's guitar strings snapped and he had to abandon his favourite Gibson for another green one (didn't seem to make any difference). I probably know ths set (complete with solos from all four) too well to enjoy it to the max. It would be nice to hear live some of the other stuff they have on record.

Banner of Truth Ministers Conference Closing Morning 2023





I was rather ill towards the end of the Banner conference.and so I missed the final prayer meeting and thefirst morning session, when Philip Eveson spoke for the second time. I was able to listen to Dr Robert Strivens give the closing sermon, however. He spoke very helpfully on a phrase from Colossians 1:28 We proclaim him. All the sessions were recorded and if you get in touch with Banner you should be able to access them for a fee. Those who attended the conference and registered, as I have, can access them for the next year. I've started to isten to Philip Eveson now.
A conference is always more than the public addresses and it was good to share fellowship with many men - Mark Raines over from America, Paul Whitely, Adam Laughton, Mark Thomas, Bernard Lewis, Hugh and Ed Collier, etc. Then not able to spend much time with others such as Mark Johnson, Jeff Haskins, Andrew Saywell, etc.

Banner of Truth Ministers Conference Wednesday Afternoon 2023


On the final full day of conference we had a session of news from overseas. It was a privilege to hear about what is going on in Italy and India and Sri Lanka and among people from the Comoros Islands in Marseille, etc. It was perhaps an omission not to have anything from Ukraine. In the evening we had Terry Johnson's final session on the church - on the content of worship. This included a programme for us. He helpfully took a partly autobiographical approach (including a rendition of Psalm 92 to If I were a rich man). The contents are
1. Reading the Word
2. Preaching the Word
3. Praying the Word
4. Singing the Word
5. See the Word (the Lord's Supper and baptism
I thought he made an interesting point against stream of consciousness praying, which I suppose I tend to. May be there should be more structure. He ended with a call to take the long view of things and to hold our nerve. Here he included families as well as churches faithfully ministering.

Banner of Truth Ministers Conference Wednesday Morning 2023


Sorry to be behuind a little but on Wednesday morning we had an excellent couple of messages from Warren Peel and Paul Levy (who kindly drove me back to London after the conference). Warren carried on plundering David Clarkson on the glories of public worship with a little George Swinnock thrown in for good measure. (The Clarkson sermon can be found here). It was refreshing to hear Paul on a completely different subject to the church theme, looking at the woman with the alabaster jar from Matthew 26. He was winsome and theologically thorough and challenging. "Her extravagance was nithing to the extravagance of Christ for us"; "Every sacrifice you have made for Christ is sensible". C T Studd (who, Paul reminded us, was nuts) said rightly “If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

Banner of Truth Ministers Conference Tuesday Afternoon 2023


On Tuesday afternoon Jeremy Walker gave us a very helpful introduction to the Puritan John Flavel. He took us through the life and works of Flavel and then focused on the sermon The character of a complete evangelical pastor based on Matthew 24:45-47. Despite audio problems Jeremy was able to helpfully enthuse us about Flavel (perhaps Jonathan Edwards favourite writer) in a very helpful way.
Flavel closes his sermon with these words

You have heard what a variety of duty lies upon us, and what difficulty in every part thereof; yet all our labours would be light, and our pains pleasant, might we see more fruits, and success of them amongst you.
Your barrenness and un persuadableness, your divisions and instability cost us more, than all our other pains in our studies and pulpits. How easily and sweetly would the plough go, would you but set both your hands of prayer and obedience to assist us in that work.
You have now as blessed an opportunity as your souls can desire, yea, that very season of mercy some of you have a long time anxiously desired. You have confessed to God, that you once sinned us out of our pulpits; God forbid you should next sin us into our graves.
If you be wanton children at a full table, our enemies are not so far off, but God can quickly call them in to cure your wantonness, by taking away the cloth.
The stewards of Christ provide choice dishes for you, even feasts of fat things full of marrow; and serve it into your souls upon the knee of prayer in due season: have a care of despising it, if at any time the dishes be not garnished as you expect, with curious figures, and flowers of rhetoric.
The Lord give you hungry appetites, sound digestions, and thriving souls; then shall ye be our crown of rejoicing, and we yours in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ: To the word of whose grace I commend you all, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified.

In the evening Terry Johnson spoke again on the church, this time on what the church looks like. This was quite an emotional address that for me rambled a little but his main point I believe was how we react to the troubles and thr triumphs of the people of God. He quoted Lloyd-Jones, including the line "Have you got a zeal for the glory of God? Does it grieve you to see his Church as she is? If not, why not? If this is a burden that can come to anybody, why has it not come to you?"

Banner of Truth Ministers Conference Tuesday Morning 2023



We had two good sessions this morning, the first from Philip Eveson on the Old Testament church and the second from Warren Peel on the significance of public worship. Mr Eveson's emphasis was on the continuty of the Old Testament and New Testament church. He spoke of the church then as a redeemed church, an elect church, a holy church and a worshipping church.
Mr Peel took up David Clarkson's sermon on Public worship is to be preferred before private. Warren ended with this striking quotation from George Swinnock
“Prepare to meet thy God,’ O Christian! Betake thyself to thy chamber on the Saturday night, confess and bewail thine unthankfulness for, and unfruitfulness under the ordinances of God; shame and condemn thyself for thy sins, entreat God to prepare thy heart for, and assist it in, thy religious performances —
Spend some time in consideration of the infinite majesty, holiness, jealousy, and goodness of that God, with whom thou art to have to do in sacred duties; ponder the weight and importance of his holy ordinances; how they concern thy salvation or damnation, thine everlasting life or death, how certainly they will either further thine unchangeable welfare, or increase thine endless woe —
Mediate upon the shortness of the time thou hast to enjoy Sabbaths in; how near thy life may be to an end, how speedily and how easily God may take down thine earthly tabernacle, how there is no working, no labouring, no striving in the other world, to which thou art hastening; and continue musing and blowing till the fire burneth; thou canst not think the good thou mayest gain by such afterthoughts, how pleasant and profitable the Lord’s-day would be to thee after such preparation.
The oven of thine heart thus baked in, as it were, overnnight, would be easily heated the next morning; the fire so well raked up when thou wentest to bed, would be the sooner kindled when thou shouldst rise.
If thou wouldst thus leave thine heart with God on the Saturday night, thou shouldst find it with him in the Lord’s-day morning.

Banner of Truth Ministers Conference Opening Evening 2023



It's good to be hear once again at Yarndield Park for the Banner of Truth Ministers Conference. We began with a sermon from Hugh Collier. Hugh took us to Romans 15:13 (May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.) Great choixe of ttext and the preaching well executed. Great start. The rest of the evening was given over to a first session on the church from Banner author Terry Johnson. I would think Mr Johnson is preaching to the converted on this subject but the general neglect of this doctrine is definitely reprehensible.

Lord's Day April 16 2023


We returned yesterday to our studies in Luke with Luke 14:1-6. Quite a few missing all told. It was nice to meet three generations of Kenyan lady who have recently moved into the area. In the evening we had communion and then looked at a text from 1 Peter 1:3, 4.

10 Contributors to Beatles Tracks



1. Andy White Drums “Love Me Do” (1962)
2. Johnnie Scott Flute “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” (1965)
3. Alan Civil French Horn “For No One” (1966)
4. David Mason Soprano Trumpet “Penny Lane” (1967)
5. Robert Burns Clarinet “When I'm 64” (1967)
6. Eric Clapton Guitar “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (1968)
7. Chris Thomas Harpsichord “Piggies” (1968)
8. Nicky Hopkins Electric Piano "Revolution" (1968)
9. Billy Preston Electric Piano “Get Back” (1970)
10. Brian Jones Saxophone “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” (1970)