Some dates for your interest

Some readers of the blog will be interested to know our plans for the future (ie me and Eleri and Owain). At present we are looking forward to a leaving service here in Childs Hill on Saturday July 11 (2. 30 pm), when my father-in-law Geoff Thomas will preach. All are welcome!

The next day we have a visiting preacher who is preaching "with a view".

My term here will then officially come to a close at the end of July.

However, I have agreed with the church to supply the pulpit on four of the five Sundays in August to help them.

At the end of August we will head to Australia where I am preaching in Sydney and Melbourne. We return from there mid-September and then, near the end of September, we move to South Wales, where the next chapter begins. I am preaching in Guernsey in October.

Lord's Day June 21 2026

Another good Sunday in many ways. Numbers quite low in the evening. We had communion first. Carrying on through these final chapters of Luke back to back.

London Seminary end of year 2026

It was good to be present yet again at the nnual thanskgiving in Finchley last Saturday. It was  subuded affair this time arouns as only two servants were leaving (Craig Woodhams and Victor Stauchean) both having completed the course over a four year period. Brad Franklin was the preacher who took us to the second half of John 3 and reminded us who's party it is. The usual tea on the lawn followed and the opportunity to chat with people. Whether we will be able to come next year is open to question. It may be the end of an era for us. The seminary seems to be doing okay and picking up after a bit of a low spot numbers wise. Next year will be its fiftieth year.

10 Old Testament Quotations in Matthew 1-4

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

1. Matthew Chapter 1: The Birth of Jesus Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel."
2. Matthew Chapter 2: The Infancy of Jesus Matthew 2:6 quotes Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah ... out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel."
3. Matthew 2:15 quotes Hosea 11:1 "Out of Egypt I called my son."
4. Matthew 2:18 quotes Jeremiah 31:15 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children ..."  (Matthew 2:23 alludes to "the prophets" (likely linking to Isaiah 11:1 or Judges 13:5) "He will be called a Nazarene.")
5. Matthew Chapter 3: The Ministry of John the Baptist Matthew 3:3 quotes Isaiah 40:3 "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’"
6. Matthew Chapter 4: The Temptation and Early Ministry Matthew 4:4 (Jesus) quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
7. Matthew 4:6 (Satan) quotes Psalm 91:11–12 "He will command his angels concerning you... so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
8. Matthew 4:7 (Jesus) quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
9. Matthew 4:10 (Jesus) quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
10. Matthew 4:15–16 quotes Isaiah 9:1–2 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali ... the people living in darkness have seen a great light ..."

10 Blessings for the God fearing and Law abiding Psalm 112

Psalm 112 says

Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.

1. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
2. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
3. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
4. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.
5. Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
6. they will be remembered forever.
7. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
8. in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. (They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor)
9. their righteousness endures forever;
10. their horn will be lifted high in honour.

The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

10 no mores in Revelation 21 and 22

Aasish Giri, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

1. No more sea

Rev 21:1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

2. No more death

Rev 21:2-4 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death'

3. No more mourning or mourning

4. No more crying or crying

5. No more  pain or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

6. No more temples Rev 21:22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

7. No more sun or moon Rev 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

8. No more impurity Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

9. No more curse Rev 22:3 No longer will there be any curse.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

10. No more night

Rev 22:5 There will be no more night.

They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. 

10 Acrostic Poems in Psalms and Proverbs

1. Psalm 9
2. Psalm 10
3. Psalm 25
4. Psalm 34
5. Psalm 37
6. Psalm 111
7. Psalm 112
8. Psalm 119
9. Psalm 145
10. Proverbs 31:10-31

(Acrostic poems are also found in Nahum 1:2-8 and Lamentations 1, 2, 3 and 4. Chapter 3 is a triple acrostic, using each letter three times)

Rasputin by Anthony Beevor

I saw this in bookshop and decided to get it on kindle. The current kindle system is very good iin that you can download a sample and when you have read that you have covered 10% of the book and so it is easy to download the rest and read. Typically, I am aware of Rasputin but could not have given you his dates or much else and there was no distinction in my mind between the rumours and the facts. Anthony Beevor makes a brave effort it give context and to distinguish fact and fiction but it is not easy. There seemed to be as much about everyone else as there was about Rasputin and with a large dramatis personae it was hard to keep upp at times. I think I've got a better hande on it now and there clealry is a connection between Rasputin's role and the fall of the house of Romanov. Beevor suggests it is the power of rumour. Certiny there is a lot of gullibility and suprstition going on here. Whether this will lead me on to other books by Beevor I am not sure.

Midweek Meeting June 17 2026

We were five in the room tonight plus two online. A new person, a youung lady, came along for the first time. We looked at another interesting word of phrase. This time, penal substitiutionary atonement. We spent a little while in prayer after that. All over in less than an hour.

Day Off Week 25 2026

Yesterday I started back on my walk along the Thames Path. I went down to Wapping overground station to get near the start of my next section and had a coffee in the Urban Baristas coffee shop there. I then walked over old ground and onto new as far as Canary Wharf where I managed to find a Jubilee station thanks to the help of two young ladies bent onthe same quest. One was a Nigerian Brit student and the other an Iraqi German visiting her. Nice chat. During the day I sarted reading The Voices of Pompeii on kindle and in the evening watched lots of TV. Lovely weather.

Lord's Day June 14 2026

We had lunch in church last Sunday, which is always nice. We could all squeeze into the Parlour as we were not a vast number. Several are away on holiday and others don't turn up. It was a good morning congregation and even in the evening we were in double figures. We continue to work through the closing chapters of Luke's Gospel. Yesterday morning we looked at Peter's denial and then in the evening Jesus's trials.

10 rules to observe to come to stability in obedience by John Owen

Attributed to John Greenhill, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In his work on Psalm 130 John Owen gives a series of rules for coming to stability in obedience

RULE I Realise Christ is the only infallible judge of our spiritual condition

RULE II Self-condemnation and abhorrency for sin are consistent with gospel justification and peace— The nature of gospel assurance

RULE III Continuance in waiting is necessary unto peace and consolation

RULE IV Remove the hindrances of believing by a searching out of sin with rules and directions for that duty

RULE V Distinguish between unbelief and jealousy

RULE VI Distinguish between faith and spiritual sense

RULE VII Make sure not to mix foundation and building work together

RULE VIII Spend no time in heartless complaints

RULE IX Take heed of undue expressions concerning God and his ways in distress

RULE X Duly improve the least appearances of God in a way of grace or pardon

(RULE XI would be to consider where lies the hinderance to peace)

10 contrasts between Psalms 105 and 106

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

Psalms 105 and 106 are twin historical psalms that tell the same story from two different perspectives. While Psalm 105 focuses on God’s perfect faithfulness, Psalm 106 focuses on humanity’s persistent unfaithfulness.

1. Psalm 105 is a hymn of praise. Its tone is joyful, celebratory and filled with gratitude. Psalm 106 is a prayer of repentance. Its tone is sombre, reflective and confession-driven.
2. Psalm 105 builds confidence. It reminds the reader that God always keeps His unconditional promises. Psalm 106 teaches humility. It reminds the reader that mercy is the only reason the nation survived.
3. Psalm 105 is about God's loyalty. It highlights God's initiative, promises and miracles. Psalm 106 is about Israel's rebellion: It highlights human failure, complaints and spiritual amnesia.
4. Psalm 105 omits all sin. It completely skips over the golden calf, the grumbling and the rebellions. Psalm 106 details every failure. It acts as a national confession, listing specific sins from Egypt to the Exile.
5. Psalm 105 starts with Abraham. It traces the covenant from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob before reaching Moses. Psalm 106 starts at the Red Sea: It bypasses the early Patriarchs to jump straight into the Exodus sins.
6. Psalm 105 celebrates the plagues. It portrays the plagues as God's mighty judgments against Egypt. Psalm 106 laments the wilderness:. It portrays the wilderness as a place where Israel constantly tested God's patience.
7. Psalm 105:37–39 says God brought them out laden with silver and gold. He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to give light at night. Psalm 106:7 says They gave no thought to God's miracles in Egypt. They did not remember His kindness; they rebelled by the Red Sea.
8. Psalm 105:42–44 says God remembered His holy promise to Abraham. He brought His people out with joy. He gave them the lands of the nations. Psalm 106:24, 25 says They despised the pleasant land and did not believe His promise. They grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.
9. Psalm 105:44, 45 says He gave them the lands of the nations... that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord! Psalm 106:34–36 says They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord commanded. Instead, they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs, worshipping their idols.
10. Psalm 105 ends with victory. It concludes with the triumphant possession of the Promised Land. Psalm 106 ends in captivity: It concludes with a plea to be gathered and rescued from exile among the nations.

The world cup 2026

UKinUSA from Washington, D.C., USA, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

Watched Canada draw 1-1 with Bosnia Herzegovina last night. Typical world cup - great fans, sturring anthems, lots of boring bits and one or two flashes of brilliance. I think most games will be on in the middle of our night so I won't see much. It's a great spectacle though. (My wife thought they should have shown more Michael Bublie).

Upcoming Conference in Sydney