Church Family Pic

 

Family Pics

 

Then and Now 2

 

We tried one of those reconstructions again recently.

This is me with my three oldest sons about thirty years apart.

Jan Akerman Lammy Part 2

I noticed this morning that someoone had highlighted my video, available here - Lammy Part 2 

The music is from Jan Akkerman's 1974 algum Tabernakel and for me is probably the most wonderful ever. I added pics interpreting the prompts given by Akkerman (Tabernakel, Last Will and Testament, Amen, etc)/ I write at Facebook

"I added those pictures about 16 yeara ago and I just rewatched. The music is superb and although the pics are done in a fairly amateurish way they do enhance the experience expecially if you know the story which is how Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness 40 years and died before entering the Promised Land. Moses and the Law will never get you into the Promised Land only Jesus can and here I start to preach - I am a preacher after all. Thanks again Jan."

Modern Life again

One feature of modern life is the way advertisers try and match up with what you are reading. It can produce humorous results and Private Eye has a regular feature on the subject. I spotted this on Bible Gateway today.

Midweek Meeting July 8 2026

There were nine of us present last night at the meeting. Two old friends are in town for the meeting on Saturday and our new attendee was there, as well as six others. We looked at the interesting subject of the regulative principle and then spent time in prayer. Good time.

10 Observations on Jesus in Revelation 1 by David Clarkson

If we observe how Christ is represented when he is said to be in the midst of the churches, we may thereby know what discoveries of Christ are made in the assemblies of his people, Rev. i. 13, &c.

1. Clothed with a garment down to the foot. That was the priests’ habit. Here is the priestly office of Christ, the fountain of all the saints’ comfort and enjoyments.
2. Girt about the paps with a golden girdle. This was the garb of a conqueror. So Christ is set forth as victorious over all his people’s enemies.
3. His head and hair white like wool. Here is his eternity; whiteness is the emblem of it. Therefore, when the Lord is expressed as eternal, he is called the Ancient of days.
4. His eyes as a flame of fire. Here is his omnisciency; nothing can be hid from his eye. The flame scatters darkness, and consumes or penetrates whatever to us might be an impediment of sight.
5. His feet like to fine brass. Here is his rower; to crush all opposers of his glory and his people’s happiness; they can no more withstand him, than earthen vessels can endure the force of brass.
6. His voice as the sound of many waters. Here his voice is most loud and powerful; so powerful, as it can make the deaf to hear, and raise the dead out of the grave of sin. His voice in private is a still voice, here it is as the sound of many waters.
7. He had in his right hand seven stars. Here is his providence, his tender care of his messengers, the ministers of the gospel, the administrators of public ordinances; he holds them in his hand, his right hand, and all the violence of the world, all the powers of darkness, cannot pluck them thence.
8. Out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. His word publicly preached, sharper than a two-edged sword, as described, Heb. iv. 12, 18, pierces the heart, searches the soul, wounds the conscience. With this Christ goes on, conquering and to conquer, maugre all opposition.
9. His countenance was as the sun that shineth in his strength. Here the face of Christ is unveiled, the fountain of light and life, the seat of beauty and glory, such as outshines the sun in his full strength. So he appears, as he becomes the love, the delight, the admiration, the happiness, of every one whose eyes are opened to behold him.
10. Now, as he is here described in the midst of the churches, so does he in effect appear in the assemblies of his people. No such clear, such comfortable, such effectual representations of the power and wisdom, of the love and beauty, of the glory and majesty of Christ, as in the public ordinances: ‘We all here, as with open face, behold the glory of the Lord.’

Westminster Fellowship July 2026

Thomas Cross, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I don't always mention the Westminster Fellwoship but I was there yesterday and it was a particularly good one. Around twenty gathered to hear Dr Garry Williams from London Seminary on the Davidic covenant and, as one would have expected, it was incisive and stiimulating as he interected with the Bible and the literature. His main focus was on a 1657 work called Mysterium & medulla bibliorum, the Mysterie and Marrow of the Bible by Francis Roberts (see above). We normally make our own arrangements for lunch but Henry Dixon arranged fro us to have sandwiches together and that worked well. This is my last official Westminster Fellowship (although I have agreed to speak next year). Once I am in Wales I am not sure if I will travel up (although Jeremy Bailey does regularly). I am also thinking through the while question of retired ministers and fraternals and conferences.

Lord's Day July 5 2026

With a new month here, we began last Lord's Day with communion lokking at John 15. We welcomed our three newly baptised members into membership. So five new members in recen times. Encouraging. I carried on preaching through Luke with the burial at the end of Luke 23 and starting on the resurrection in the evening. Such great and important passages. In the evening we also had oour friend Sajida Iqbal from Pakistan present. Noot minnistrie is quit e force (see here). We had Sajida and Gill who brought here for tea with quite  afew others from the churhc. That was a happy time too. In the niorning a Gravce Baptist minister on sabbatical was with us. It was nce to put a face to a name and discover connections. I spoke to the children in the monring about Christian fellowship and how all Christians are connected and as I think abouot it we spent the day underlining that.

10 Single Volume Commentaries on Ephesians

 

1. Francis Foulkes
2. John Stott
3. H C G Moule
4. Charles Hodge
5. James M Boice
6. William Hendriksen
7. Harry Uprichard
8. Cordon Clark
9. Geoffrey B Wilson
10. Stuart Olyott

10 Notable Words Used by Washington Irving in his Rip Van Winkle Tale

1. Termagant: A harsh or overbearing woman (used to describe Rip’s nagging wife).
2. Galligaskins: Loose, baggy, or large trousers.
3. Rubicund: Having a red or ruddy complexion.
4. Dapper: someone - typically a man - who is neat, trim and stylishly dressed. (It can also refer to someone who is brisk, active and lively in their movements and manners.)
5. Junto: a small group of people, usually a faction, committee, or council, joined together for a common purpose (often secretly or with political aims).
6. Virago: Like Termagant, a domineering, fierce, or bad-tempered woman 
7. Dominie - a traditional term primarily referring to a schoolmaster or teacher in Scotland or a member of the clergy, specifically a pastor, in the Dutch Reformed Church.
8. Hollands - short for "Hollands gin" refers to a strong, juniper-flavoured gin originally distilled in the Netherlands. Also commonly known as Jenever.
9. Firelock - a historical firearm and the specific ignition mechanism it uses. It describes guns where the gunpowder is ignited by sparks struck from flint and steel, such as a flintlock. Broadly, the term historically distinguishes any flint or wheel-lock firearm from earlier matchlock systems that required a burning cord.
10. Connubial - related to marriage, wedlock or the intimate relationship between spouses.

10 People and Psalm 119

Manton/Wilberforce

1. Thomas Manton, a prolific 17th-century Puritan, wrote a massive, three-volume commentary exclusively on Psalm 119, spanning 190 separate chapters and over 1,600 pages.
2. George Wishart, Bishop of Edinburgh, in the 17th century (not to be confused with another Scot by the same name who was martyred a century earlier) was condemned to death for his faith. But when he was on the scaffold, he made use of a custom that allowed the condemned person to choose one psalm to be sung, and he chose Psalm 119. Before two-thirds of the psalm had been sung, his pardon arrived and his life was spared.
3. William Grimshaw of Haworth was accustomed to round-up the unwilling with a whip, prowling the village mid-service whilst the congregation was singing a psalm — a favourite one being Psalm 119, because it was the longest.
4. Matthew Henry the famous Bible commentator was raised on the Psalm. His father, Philip Henry, made the children meditate on one verse every single morning, cycling through the entire Psalm twice a year to foster a lifelong love for scripture.
5. William Wilberforce the 19th-century British politician who led the movement to abolish the slave trade frequently recited Psalm 119 from memory during his daily walks back from Parliament to calm his mind and maintain political courage.
6. David Livingstone the famous 19th-century Scottish pioneer missionary and explorer of Africa famously won a New Testament at his local church Sunday school when he was only 9 years old by flawlessly reciting the entire Psalm.
7. John Ruskin the art critic was made to emmorise the Psalm. He reflected heavily on it in his later years, famously noting how his mother's strict childhood enforcement of the chapter transitioned from feeling "repulsive" to becoming his most "precious" biblical text, representing an "overflowing and glorious passion of love for the Law of God".
8. Henry Martyn, the pioneer Anglican missionary to India in the early 19th century, famously memorised the entirety of Psalm 119 in 1804. During his arduous life of translating scriptures into local languages and facing exhaustion, he confessed that it was the Word of God alone that gave him strength.
9. Martin Luther held Psalm 119 in the highest regard, famously stating that he would not exchange a single leaf of it for the entire world. He viewed the psalm not just as a prayer, but as a core textbook for spiritual formation, using it to define his famous "three rules for studying theology" (prayer, meditation, temptation).
10. Charles Spurgeon, the "Prince of Preachers" deeply loved Psalm 119 and highly recommended the Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges, calling it "worth its weight in gold."

Day Off Week 27 2026

Slighty odd day in some ways. I had hay fever all day, which can happen even though I take an antihistamine every day throughout the season. I spent the morning cataloguing books in LibraryThing (I took loadsto the Evangelical Library on Monday). Eleri was home until lunch time then going out so we had our main meal at lunch time (salmon). Because of the hay fever I didn't feel like walking the Thames and then two books I ordered weeks back arrived so I decided to go to Caffe Nero, West Hampstead, and sit in the air conditioning, reading them both which I did (only 60 pages each). Very helpful but I got quite depressed after and so after watching the news I headed for bed.

Lord's Day June 28 2026

The church was pretty full yesterday morning as we had three baptisms. One was a young lady who had grown up in the church, another was a local young man who we have got to know this year and the thrid was an Iranian. It was a great time. We also had another four Iranians there for the first time and in the evening a local lady who came once before returned. We were down to 15 in the evening but it wa sa good day all told, all the more poignant as that may be the last time I baptise anyone. Over the years I must have baptised around 43 people here in Childs Hill, an average of one a year.

10 Nicknames for Chapters in the Bible

1. 1 Kings 18 The Mount Carmel Showdown 
2. Psalm 23 The Shepherd Psalm
3. Isaiah 53 The Forbidden Chapter (the gospel according to Iaiah)
4. Isaaih 58 The Fasting Chapter
5. Ezekiel 37 The Dry Bones Chapter
6. Luke 15 The Lost Chapter (the joy chapter)
7. John 17 The High Priestly Prayer
8. 1 Corinthians 13 The Hymn of love (the wedding chapter)
9. Hebrews 11 The Hall of Faith
10. James 3 The Tongue Chapter

Westminster Conference Papers 2025 Now in print

 

10 Things you can live without

AI Generated

1. Comedian Matt Lucas has no hair (Cf TV presenter Gail Porter)
2. Singer Shane MacGowan lost most of his teeth and then had the remaining ones removed and false teeth inserted(Cf George Washington)
3. Beatles Ringo Starr and George Harrison had their tonsils removed in 1964 and 1969 (King Charles III had his tonsils and adenoids removed in 1957)
4. Footballer Pele had only one kidney from the seventies on (Cf Singer Natalie Cole)
5. Footballer Bobby Moore lost a testicle in 1964* (Cf Cyclist Lance Armstrong)
6. Marilyn Monroe had her appendix removed in 1962 (Cf Elton John, also without tonsils, adenoids and prostate)
7. Sammy Davis Jr lost his left eye in 1954 (Cf Actor Peter Falk)**
8. Nelson lost his right arm in 1797 (also his right eye 1794) (Cf Stonewall Jackson and left arm Rick Allen, Def Leppard drummer)
9. Ted Kennedy Jr had his leg amputated in 1973 (Cf Frida Kahlo)
10. Actor John Wayne had most of his left lung removed in 1964 (Cf Singer Al Jolson)

*Women survive well with none and so would a man with none but they could not reproduce

**Of course, people like Stevie Wonder have no use of either eye (pop star Pink had her gall bladder removed in 2012 cf singer Kacey Musgraves; Django Reinhardt, Tony Iommi and Jerru Garcia all had bits of their fingers missing; actor Ben Stiller and golfer Armold Palmer had their prostate removed))

10 Words and ther Meanings From Anthony Beevor's Rasputin

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

1. Banya A steam bath-house, often made from logs
2. Barin A Russian country gentleman who owned an estate
3. Dusya Darling
4. Gornitsa A guest house or guest room for travellers and pilgrims
5. Hieromonk A monk who has also been ordained as a priest, or a priest who becomes tonsured later Izba A simple peasant house, often a log cabin caulked with moss
6. Moujik Typical Russian peasant
7. Okhrana Tsarist secret police
8. Pogrom A riot, not just those anti-Semitic in nature
9. Starets A venerated elder of the Russian Orthodox Church
10. Strannik A wandering pilgrim

(Bonus: Tarantass A long, low four-wheeled cart which could be converted into a sled in winter)

Beevor, Antony. Rasputin: And the Downfall of the Romanovs. Orion.

10 Contrasts Between Genesis 1-3 and Revelation 21 and 22

Made with AI

1. The Starting and End Point: Genesis 2:8 God places the first humans in an uncultivated, rural landscape Revelation 22:2 God brings redeemed humanity into a grand city, the New Jerusalem.
2. The Curse Undone: Genesis 3:17 God curses the ground because of human rebellion. Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be any curse.
3. The Flow of Living Water: Genesis 2:10, a river flows out of Eden to water the physical earth. Revelation 22:1, the River of the Water of Life flows eternally from God’s throne.
4. The Hiding Ends: Genesis 3:8, terrified humans hide from God's physical presence among the trees. Revelation 22:4, the ultimate restoration is achieved: They will see his face.
5. Banishing the Dark: Genesis 1:5, God creates the night to alternate with the day. Revelation 22:5, night is permanently abolished because God's glory replaces all darkness.
6. Access to Life Restored: Genesis 3:24, cherubim guard the way to the Tree of Life to banish humanity. Revelation 22:14, humanity is granted the formal right to the tree of life (also see 22:2)
7. No more sea: Genesis 1:10 the creation of the seas Reveation 21:1 no more sea
8. Precisou stones: Genesis 2:12 mentions gold and onyx Revelation 21:18-21 describe the New Jerusalem in terms of precious stones and golden streets.
9. Satan cast out: Genesis 3 tells how Satan brought about the fall through a serpent Revelation 21:8, 22 and 22:15 speak of eil being expelled. See also Revelation 20.
10. The Bride: Genesis 2 Adam is presented with Eve as his bride Revelation 21:2 and 9 speak of the holicity as Christ's bride.

Midweek Meeting June 24 2026

I forgot to add some text here. A little grop of us met once again. Out new friend from last week returned. We looked at the important subject of the sovereignty of God and prayed. No-one online.

More Thames Path Pics

Billingsgate

Whale on the Wharf (made from plastic waste)

Millennium Dome on the South Bank

London cable cars in the distance

Blackwall Basin

Outram Pumping Station, Isle of Dogs

Canary Wharf

Final word of poem by W C Bennett inscribed along a 170m stretch by Nicky Hirst (Flow on in glory, still flow on, O Thames, unto the sea, Through glories gone, through grandeurs here, through greatness still to be: Through the free homes of England flow, and may yet higher fames, Still nobler glories, star your course, O my own native Thames!)

Day Off Week 26 2026

I carried on with my Thames walk on Tuesday, although things didn't turn out quite the way I planned. I got the Jubilee line down to Canary Wharf, where I had a coffee in a Black Sheep cafe. I then headed for the path but at that point the Thames makes a big loop and so you can get to it in three directions. I'm not sure what I did but by the time I eventually got to the path I was quite a way on and so I walked back, eventually getting to Island Gardens DLR, where I headed home. I notice that at a certain point references to the Thames Path are replaced by ones for Riverside Walk. By then I had walked well over 12,000 steps in the heat (although there were breezes to be fair). As for the rest of my day off, I did some reading (a book on Spurgeon and the Sabbath which I'd almost completed the day before and a chunk of Owen on Gospel Evidences of Saving Faith). I also had a nap so I was awake for the England game against Ghana - a rather boring nil-nil draw.

10 examples of mocking idols in the Old Testament

1. Judges 6:31 Gideon's father Joash mocks Baal. But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”

2. 1 Samuel 5:2-5. After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.

3. 1 Kings 18:27: Elijah’s sarcastic taunts. During the famous showdown on Mount Carmel, the pagan prophets slash themselves and scream to Baal, but nothing happens. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

4. Psalm 115:4–8: The Silent Senses. These verses methodically strip idols of all power, listing mouths that cannot speak, etc. Also note the sting in the tail.

But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.

They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.

They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.

They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk,

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

5. Psalm 135:15–18: The Echo. This psalm duplicates the mockery from Psalm 115 almost word for word. 

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands.

They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.

They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them

6. Isaiah 44:9–20: The Lumberjack Analogy. The longest and most famous idol satire in the Bible. All who make idols are nothing,

and the things they treasure are worthless.

Those who would speak up for them are blind;

they are ignorant, to their own shame.

Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing?

People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings.

Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame.

The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals;

he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm.

He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.

The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker;

he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses.

He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.

He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak.

He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.

It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself,

he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.

Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal,

he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, ‘Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.’

From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says,

‘Save me! You are my god!’

They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so that they cannot see,

and their minds closed so that they cannot understand.

No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,

‘Half of it I used for fuel;I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate.

Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?’

Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say,

‘Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?’

7. Isaiah 46:1–7: The Exhausted Beasts. Isaiah mocks the chief gods of Babylon, Bel and Nebo. Instead of the gods carrying the people, the heavy metal statues become a massive burden that exhausts the poor donkeys and oxen forced to cart them around.

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden.

The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary.

They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.

'Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel,

you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.

Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.

I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

‘With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?

Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, nd they bow down and worship it.

They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.

8. Jeremiah 10:3–16: The Scarecrow Analogy. Jeremiah compares impressive-looking pagan idols to helpless garden fixtures: For the practices of the peoples are worthless;

they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.

They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it will not totter.

Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them;they can do no harm nor can they do any good.’

No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

Who should not fear you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.

They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. 

Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple – all made by skilled workers.

But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.

‘Tell them this: “These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom

and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.

They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.

He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the people of his inheritance – the Lord Almighty is his name.

9. Habakkuk 2:18–19 Shouting at Stone. Habakkuk mocks the sheer futility of speaking to rocks: “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”

10. Hosea 8:4-6 4 They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval.

With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction.
Samaria, throw out your calf-idol! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity?
They are from Israel! This calf - a metalworker has made it;
it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria

10 interesting facts about Psalm 113

1. It is all praise and no requests
2. It begins and ends with a Hallelujah
3. It is the first psalm in what is called the Hallel (113-118)
4. It is one of two psalms traditionally sung before the Passover meal
5. Jesus would have sung it at the Last Supper
6. It is one of two psalms often used in the early church for baptisms at Easter or Pentecost
7. The psalm is built on the twin truths that God is the one whose glory is above the heavens and yet who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth
8. It echoes the prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2
9. It points forward to Mary's prayer, the Magnificat, in Luke 1
10. It has inspired music by Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Mozart

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 young 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.