In the Shadow of the Rock

So we now have it, the much anticipated autobiography of my esteemed father-in-law. The man himself was here this afternoon and kindly passed on a copy. I have started it and am looking forward to reading it. I am aware of some of the content, of course,  but it will be good to go through it properly. It will be an interesting read. as for getting hold of a copy, I'm not sure. he publisher is RHB in America. Geoff has started a new blog here.

Banner of Truth Conference 2022 Thursday

Just two messages on our final day.

First Robert McCollum Jr gave his second, and I thought even better, address on communion - the experience this time, again from Mark 6. Then after coffee the closing sermon was given by Meirion Thomas on the communion itself. Once again, lots of good things.

Among many good things were these quotations from Charnock and Spurgeon

Charnock

There is in this action more communion with God (though not the sole act of communion, as some say) than in any other religious act. Prayer is an act of homage; praise an act of gratitude. We have not so near a communion with a person, either by petitioning for something we want, or returning him thanks for a favour received, as we have by sitting with him at his table, partaking of the same bread and the same cup. In all nations the nearest fellowship consists in acts of this nature. The eating of the supper, as the eating of sacrifices, is a federal rite between God and the believer, signifying that there is a covenant of friendship between him and them. It is the Lord’s table, and what feasted and cheered the heart of God in heaven, viz., the body and blood of Christ, God gives us to feast our souls on earth, so that we do in a manner eat and drink with him in this love banquet. Take, eat, manifests a communion; Christ is really presented to us, and faith really takes him, closes with him, lodgeth him in the soul, makes him an indweller; and the soul hath a spiritual communion with him in his life and death, as if we did really eat his flesh and drink his blood presented to us in the elements. Eating signifies taking in Christ as our own, his righteousness, and whatsoever is his in communion with him. Discourse of the end of the Lord's Supper, see Works, Vol 4, 392-426

Spurgeon

To know that Jesus loves me is one thing. But to be visited by Him in love is more. Nor is it simply a close contemplation of Christ; for we can picture Him as exceedingly fair and majestic, and yet not have Him consciously near us. Delightful and instructive as it is to behold the likeness of Christ by meditation, yet the enjoyment of His actual presence is something more. Till He Comes, 17

I can bear my own witness that, many and many a Sabbath, when I have found but little food for my soul elsewhere, I have found it at the communion table. – “In Remembrance” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 1909, 55, 71

We believe that Jesus Christ spiritually comes to us and refreshes us, and in that sense we eat his flesh and drink his blood. The Witness of the Lord’s Supper, 38

I think the moments we are nearest to heaven are those we spend at the Lord’s table. MTP 54, 332

Never mind that bread and wine, unless you can use them as folks often use their spectacles. What do they use them for? To look at? No, to look through them. So, use the bread and wine as a pair of spectacles. Look through them, and do not be satisfied until you can say, “Yes, yes, I can see the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” MTP 45, 525

Banner of Truth Conference 2022 Wednesday

Another excellent day today. First Robert McCollum Jr spoke on the example of communion with God shown by Christ in Mark 6. There we see Christ sending everyone away, spending time in prayer and seeing his disciples struggling. That morning we also had the second paper from Jeff Kingswood on the communion that covers sin. After a free afternoon we reconvened at five to hear five men from various countries (Zambia, Poland, Japan, Sri Lanka and India) under the chairmanship of new Banner trustee David Campbell. It is always good to hear what is going on elsewhere. Then later in the evening Conrad Mbewe spoke very effectively again from 1 John. A group of us also gathered with Conrad later to hear something of his testimony.

Banner of Truth Conference 2022 Tuesday Evening

We had another two good sessions last night. First, Andy Hambleton of the EPC spoke on Mark 6:31 and the importance of a balance in the ministry so that we take time to rest. It was good to have that note sounded and in a realistic way. Then after supper we went into overdrive as Conrad Mbewe took us through the rest of the first chapter of 1 John.

Banner of Truth Conference 2022 Tuesday Morning

This morning two further Banner Trustees spoke very helpfully. Jeff Kingswood from Canada spoke from Acts 12 on prayer and Robert Strivens, now at Bradford on Avon, spoke on Puritan worship. Robert spoke on why the reformation of worship was so important to the Puritans, how it was rooted in a very high view of God and of Christ and some of the lessons to be learned. We had lots of good quotations from Charnock Perkins, Owen and Burroughs. Here is one from Owen on delighting in worship.

Now this delight in the worship of God so much commended in the Scripture and proposed unto our example consists not in any carnal self pleasing or satisfaction in the outward modes or manner of the performance of divine worship but it is a holy soul refreshing contemplation on the will, wisdom, grace and condescension of God in that he is pleased of his own sovereign mere will and grace so to manifest himself unto such poor sinful creatures as we are, so to condescend unto our weakness, so to communicate himself unto us so to excite and draw forth our souls unto himself and to give us such pledges of his gracious intercourse with us by Jesus Christ. By the contemplation of these things is the soul drawn forth to delight in God.

Banner of Truth Conference 2022 First Evening

So after a long hiatus we are back in Yarnfield Park for the Banner of Truth Ministers Conference. It is good to be here again. Our first evening we had David Campbell of Preston on glorification and then Conrad Mbewe on 1 John 1:1-4. It was an excellent start. Looking forward to the rest.

PS There appears to be a version of the sermon on the subject of glorification here.

Likewise maybe for Conrad's sermon here.

Lord's Day April 24 2022

We had a very good number last Sunday and a much smaller congregation in the evening. We had friends from the US with us who came to lunch. That was good. In the morning we went back to Luke 9 and looked at verses 51-56. As happens sometimes, it preached better than what I prepared, which is good. There are a number of psalms that I have never preached on , as far as I am aware, so I decided in the evening to tackle Psalm 14. Goo day.

Politics

I continue to add to my Published Articles blog. This article from 1998 recently added is still relevant today.

10 Things about Manet, Monet and Minet

I read two art books recently, one on Manet and one on Monet. It is remarkable that two great artists should have such similar names. It made me wonder if there were others who would fit into this exclusive group. Apparently there was also a lesser artist called Emile-Louis Minet.

1. Summary. Édouard Manet, a French painter, was one of the first nineteenth century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.

Claude Monet also known as Oscar-Claude Monet or Claude Oscar Monet, was a founder of French impressionist painting and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement.

Louis-Émile Minet, French painter regularly took the Seine as his theme, and in particular the laborious activities carried by the river.

2. Movement. Manet (Realism, Impressionism) Monet (Impressionism) Minet (Realism)

3. Date of birth. Manet 23 January 1832, Monet 14 November 1840, 13 March 1841

4. Place of birth. Manet and Monet, Paris; Minet, Rouen

5. Date of death. Manet 30 April 1883, Monet 5 December 1926, Minet April 28, 1923

6. Place of death. Manet Paris, Monet Giverny, Minet Vernon.

7. Cause of death. Manet syphillis, Monet lung cancer, Minet uremia.

8. Works include

Manet The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe); Olympia; A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (Le Bar aux Folies-Bergère)

Monet Impression, Sunrise; Rouen, Cathedral series; London Parliament series; Water Lilies; Haystacks; The Poppy Fields

Minet Chickens in the Road, Pont des arches, Le parc en automne

9. Record price

Manet $65 M

Monet $110.7M

Minet $5127

10. Where to see their works

Manet Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Monet The Monet Museum, Paris

Minet Elbeuf Museum, Paris

Two Days (Off) in South Wales

Having spent last week in North Wales my wife decided we should spend some time this week in South Wales with the one son we didn't see last week. And so we had a lovely long day and a bit in Cardiff with Dylan, Cat and Gruff. We also got to see Eleri's sisters. The younger one lives in Cardiff and the other had come with her husband from Wiltshire to drop off their son for a five day Easter camp in Mid-Wales with his uncle. So very nice time. We left on the Tuesday shortly before lunch. In the evening I watched these Netflix documentaries on Jimmy Savile, which are well done and contain what I think is key - the suggestion that he did all the good he did hoping it would cancel out all the evil he did. Here is convincing evidence that cannot be the way our eternal destiny is decided. (The programmes inevitably deal with some murky stuff and are rightly 18 certificate). The map is to match the previous one. We only went to Cardiff but I have left Newport on as that is where I was born. Cwmbran, where I grew up, is four miles north.

Article on Being a Deacon in Evangelical Magazine

I give some thought to the often overlooked role of deacons in church life in the latest edition of the Evangelical Magazine. More here.

Lord's Day April 17 2020

We were back in Childs Hill for Easter Sunday. Stacks of people were away but we had decent congregations morning and evening - about 25 am and 11 pm. I preached on the resurrection, of course, and we sang the Easter hymns. In the morning I was mainly speaking on the implications of the resurrection. We had a visitor in the morning, a Brazilian and also in the evening a lady came who got in touch with us the other week wanting to come. Once again I was struck by the number of former Muslims and the diversity of the ethnic origins of those present - people from Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan. Jamaica, Brazil, The Philippines, New Zealand, Ghana.

10 Things achieved by the resurrection

1. Confirms all Jesus said and all the prophecies.
2. Confirms Jesus is who he claimed to be.
3. Vindicates his suffering and death.
4. Shows death and the devil are conquered.
5. Manifests God's justice.
6. Frees people from their sins.
7. Displays the power of God.
8. Demonstrates that Christianity is true and unique.
9. Gives believers a living hope.
10. Guarantees the resurrection of God's people in the world to come.

A Week in North Wales

We have just returned from a week in North Wales. We hired an AirBnB in Colwyn Bay and spent the week sharing with family and visiting friends. Three of our five sons were attending the Word Alive conference. One stayed mostly on site while two others travelled n with their families each day. My wife and another son travelled in one day. I did see a little of the conference on YouTube but this was a real holiday for me. The map above reference the places we went. Word Alive was in Prestatyn and we were in Colwyn Bay. I have mentioned that we were in Denbigh and Wrexham on the Sunday and spent the afternoon in Pentre Halkyn.One day we went in and had a look around Llandudno. Another day we went to Bangor, Eleri's alma mater. We walked on the pier, currently pier of the year (voted by its piers no doubt). See more here. We then crossed the Menai Straits to Anglesey to visit an old school friend of Eleri's, and her husband in Dwyran. They took us for a nice beach walk to Llanddwyn. Another day we visited another friend of Eleri's and her partner on a nearby farm in Llanelian yn Rhos. There were  a couple of walks along the front at Colwyn Bay and in the town. It sound a little busy but was certainly not with plenty of time to sit in the parlour in our four bedroom airBnB. I don't know North Wales well so it was good to be there again. The boys enjoyed Conrad Mbewe and Bruce Ware.

300 Sermons

One of my many blogs is the Preached Sermons blog. There are now 300 sermons available there. The site has had 294, 000 hits over the ears. See here.

10 Ways of Referring to Good Friday

1. Friday of preparation
2. Good Friday
3. Holy Friday
4. Mourning Friday
5. Sad Friday
6. Silent Friday
7. High Friday
8. Great Friday
9. Crucified Friday
10. Black Friday (although that has been superseded by the commercial reference to the day after Thanksgiving)

Also, Long Friday, Big Friday, Passion Friday or Easter Friday. The Welsh is dydd gwener y groglith, which I am told means cross reading Friday.

Lord's Day in North Wales April 10 2022

We are in North Wales on holiday and so this last Lord's Day we decided to visit two churches we are aware of. In the morning we went to Grace Church, Denbigh, a church planted about eight years ago from Ebenezer, Mold. The pastor is Dafydd Cunningham and we have known his parents for years. It is also the church where my best friend from childhood and his wife, Chris and Carol Buckingham attend. We spend the afternoon with them at their house in Pentre Halkyn. It was great to be at the church which meets in a lovely community centre. About 40 of different ages and backgrounds were there. We sang modern songs from a screen and the sermon was on the opening verses of Daniel 6 and was very well executed indeed. In the evening we went to Borras Park Evangelical, where we know a few people. Borras have their own modern building. They are slightly more traditional with older hymns but again from a screen. There were about sixty present. Mark Thomas, whom we know, was away with covid but Sam Oldridge, his assistant, preached a clear sermon from Acts 17. Brilliant to be there.

Midweek Meeting April 6 2022

Last Wednesday we looked at the seventh and final saying of Jesus on the cross. It's been good to go through these. I wish I'd done better with them. We were about 11 altogether. It was good to gather on zoom for the message and to pray. We had a members meeting the following day.

10 Welsh people not born in Wales

1. David Lloyd-George politician (Manchester)
2. Dai Jones Llanilar TV presenter (London)
3. Robert Earnshaw footballer (Zambia)
4. Ashley Williams footballer (Germany)
5. Alexander Cordell [pen name of George Alexander Graber] author (Sri Lanka)
6. Saunders Lewis playwright and campaigner (Wallasey)
7. George North rugby player (King's Lynn)
8. Jonathan "Fox" Davies rugny player (Solihull)
9. Windsor Davies actor (London)
10. Helen Morgan model (Walsall)

Lord's Day April 3 2022

So a new month means we began with communion even though we had it the week before. In the main services I preached the fifth and sixth sayings of the cross - I am thirsty, it is finished. A decent number in the morning and not too bad in the evening either. Again we had someone visiting us, a former member of the congregation, and we had people around for lunch and tea. Very nice. It struck me that I had five former followers of the Koran in the congregation. My preaching must reflect that. In the evening a man turned up who only comes for money but I have adopted the policy of not taking my wallet to church these days. Wise, I guess. So the kingdom presses forward slowly but surely.

Midweek Meeting March 30 2022

In light of the current situation where covid is as bad as ever, war rages in Europe and inflation is gathering pace fast, I decided last week to look at the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. I am still slightly uneasy about considering the white horse and rider as evil as the others but that has to be the case all things considered. In the end the decision makes little difference as we are still saying that God is in control, despite everything. A good time of prayer and a decent number again but one or two missing.

Day Off Week 13 2022

Tuesday March 29 was more like a traditional day off with coffee, a little walking and plenty of reading, although there was a church officers meeting in the evening and one or two little things I needed to do. I enjoyed the art book on the wonderful van Gogh, however, and carrying on with Hunter Davies's lovely relaxed book about nearby Hampstead Heath. Oh yeah I also put a new door knobs on the bathroom door - the easiest task of several that need doing in there.

Lord's Day March 27 2022

 

Miles behind here but on the last Sunday of March we met. It was the day the clocks changed and most were on it, though an Iranian couple came in on time wondering quite what their phones were up to. We had a visitor with us and there was a Romanian born lady there for the first time in the morning. Nice to have people round for lunch and tea. We haven't seen East Europeans in ages. We had communion in the evening as it has been missed last week. Carried on with the sayings of the cross. Good number in the morning but down as usual in the evening.