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 Random and Unusual Facts


I came across most of these in recent reading
1. The most unreached people group in the world appears to be the Bengalis from Bangladesh. With 157 million people, there are more than twice as many Bengalis as any other unreached population group.
2. Christopher Wren began planning renovations for the old St Paul’s Cathedral - including a new, modern dome - before the Great Fire of September 1666. Appointed to survey the dilapidated structure in early 1666, his designs for a dome were approved just one week before the fire destroyed the building.
3. The Monument to the Great Fire of London, commonly known as "The Monument," is the world’s tallest freestanding stone column, standing at 202 feet (61.6 meters) high. Completed in 1677, it features 311 steps leading to a viewing platform, commemorating the 1666 fire, and is located 202 feet from where the blaze began.
4. From 1710 to 1962 St Paul's was the tallest building in London at 365 feet.
5. The Mongol Empire (13th–14th centuries) was the largest contiguous land empire in history, covering over 24 million (9.3 million sq miles) at its peak, or about 17–18% of the world's landmass. Founded by Genghis Khan, it stretched from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan.
6. It was only in 1975 that the Napoleonic law was repealed that until then had potentially provided a specific legal defence that made it much easier for a husband to avoid severe punishment for killing his wife if he caught her in the act of adultery.
7. The Tower of London was used as a prison right up until 1952. The Kray twind were incarcerated there.
8. There were 43 assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler’s life. He survived all of them. He later decided to kill himself.
9. Napoleon III is buried in English soil. Originally buried in St Mary's Catholic Church. Chislehurst, Kent, his body was later moved to a monastery in Farnborough, Hampshire, where his wife was buried.
10. Mount Everest isn't really the tallest mountain on Earth. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii, the twin volcanoes, are taller than Mount Everest as 4.2km of their height is submerged underwater. The twin volcanoes measure a staggering 10.2km in total, compared to Everest’s paltry 8.8km.

Day Off Week 12 2026


The day off this week was  a little different as we had a friend here from Aberystwyth. He arrived with a carer on Monday and left on Wednesday. On the Tuesday we went to the RAF museum, walked the dog, went to Brent Cross for pizza (Ian's shout) and watched an episode of Heartbeat (something I've never done before). He also found time to do some weeding and cleaning for us. Eeleri and I watched a bit of Capture on BBC in the evening.

Thamespath - Tower of London, St Katherine's Dock

 






I did another ouple of sections of the Thames Path recentlly.

Lord's Day March 8 2026


Numbers were down on Sunday morning and evening. I carried on in Luke in the morning and did another set of paradoxes in the evening. There were enougments but these are tough days.

Jane Austen William Tyndale

Cassandra Austen, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

I went down to the British Library today to catch the last day of a modest display of Jane Austen items in their Treasury Room, marking 250 years since her birth. I also took opportunity to see the small Tyndale exhibition, marking the 500th anniversary of his New Testament.

Anonymous early portrait of Tyndale now in Hertford College, Oxford,Public Domain via Wikipedia

Midweek Meeting March 11 2026


There were five of us present plus one or to online last night. Eddie led us very well giving prayer pointers for missionaries. We then had two good prayer sessions.

Day Off Week 11 2026






The two main things on Tuesdaywere finishing the book on Blaise Pascal and walking three sections of the Thames Path, from Blackfriars Station to London Bridge. We watched sme TV in the evening.

VR05 Blackfriars

 

Contining this sporadic series of Statues of Queen Victoria. This one is on
the northern side of Blackfriars Bridge, London.

Lord's Day March 8 2026


We had a visiting preacher on Sunday - Chungman Shon. Childs Hill holds a lot of memories for Chungman as his father was the pastor of the church that meets on Sunday afternoons in our building and he remembers where he sat as a teenager (feet up and asleep sometimes!). He preached to us morning and evening from Matthew 5 and the beatitudes. Very helpful. We had a bumper turn out in the morning - perhaps over 50, including four people whohaven't been there for a while, one or two visitors, etc. There were still plenty missing, as ever We were about 15 in the evening.

Food Fun

 

This is what I had for lunch last Saturday

Midweek Meeting March 4 2026

 


A nice session on Wednesday. Five or si in the room and one o two onlilne. We began on Romans 14 and spent time in prayer. Still in the cosy kitchen.

Day Off Week 10 2026



 

Last Tuesday wasn't quite a day off in that I spent much if it in St Giles Christian Mission planning the next Westminster Conferences with the committee. Once I was out though I walked another section of the Thames Path, from Somerset House to Blackfriars. all very interesting once again. This is where we leave Westminster and enter the CiIty. Relasing evening too.


Lord's Day February 29 2026


I preached morning and evening last Lord's Day. We began with communion and then I preached (am) on the final verses of Luke 19. In the evening we carried on with out series on paradoxes, looking at angels. A good number in the morning. Lots of Iranians. Many less in the evening. We had a visitor who came to the morning service and stayed with us for lunch. Nice to have her here.

Week of Prayer February 2026

 We had a week of prayer meetings last week, which we try to do twice a year.  We held six prayer meetings, two early in the morning, two in the evening and then one on the day and a final prayer breakfast on the Saturday. It was slightly different this time in that our evening meetings were on Tuesday and Wdnesday (rather than Wednesday and Thursday) and the day time prayer eeting was on the Thursday. Also, we did not sing at all this time, which is not our usual pattern. It was good to see people at each meeting and to take art. We too easily forget how important prayer is.

Day Off Week 9 2026






On my day off last Tuesday I headed down to Westminster and walked another two sections of the Thames path. It was all very interesting and included New Scotand Yard, the Savoy, Cleoatra's needle, Tyndale, Raikes, etc. I ended near the Savoy and walked upfrom there to the STrand where I hada coffee in Caffe Nero, reading this new biography of Pascal that I have agreed to introduce at the enxt Theological Study Group at the Pastors Academy. In the evening we watched a recording of last week's The Apprentice.