A Busy Monday

Monday was a very full day. Things start quite early these days. There were other things to do in the morning as well and then at 1 pm we had the next Evangelical Library lunch time lecture from Nick Needham on Robert L Dabney. An excellent piece of work. I will give a full report soon. I am sorry not more were able to hear it. After that we had a committee meeting and that was worthwhile. Finance continues to be an issue. Things are healthy enough at the moment but on current trends, it won't be long before we are in trouble. Current trends are making it difficult. Then after that I met up with a pastor friends of mine from West London and we visited a home in Golders Green where a couple are troubled about recent phenomena in the home. It turned out that Ihad met the lady before in another connection. We talked and then we prayed |(me in English, my friend in the family tongue). They kindly gave us gifts even though we were there only a short time/ I hope this will lead to further contact and a spiritual blessing on the famiily. It was nice too to have a coffee and catch up with my friend who I first met years ago through EMF

As I walked home through the park, there was a glorious sunset. My mother used to tell me that God was too good to me (she feared I would take it for granted). God certainly is very good. Then after tea I had a Bible study on salvation with two Iranian kurd refugees who come to the church. One of them has recently been transferred to Luton nd had caught the train to Cricklewood. I am encouraging hiom to attend a church in Luton but he like us, he says. anyone I was able to pass on part of the gift I'd just received to hm to cover his significant costs. The Bible study was okay bit all in translation. Their English is not great and my Farsi non-existent.

I then relaxed watching University Challenge (Cardiff beat St Andrews - not a Celt in either team!). We also watched a bit of TV - DI Ray and the ITV News.

Busy Days

The last few weeks have been pretty busy. My daughter-in-law's younger sister was married on the 14th and it was good to be there. The wedding was held at King Alfred's School, where my first son's wedding reception was held ten years back. Lovely day. Nice to have family around for that and for some days before. The following Saturday (21st) we headed down to Crawley where our friends the Saywells were having a house warming cum birthday party for their boys. Nice to meet Jeremy and Alyssa Walker and many others new and old. We were able to pop in and see our friend Georgina too before she heads back to New Zealand. I'm glad we did. These are not easy days. before that Eleri and Owain had gone to Essex to view birds of prey and I had been at a men's meeting followed by tract giving in Golders Green. I then took the train to meet Eleri and lost my wallet en route somehow.

This week is a week of prayer and so I was up early on Monday for the first of these. The next was on Tuesday morning and then we gave our midweek meeting over to prayer and will meet again, God willing. We have had seven or eight at each meeting and most have prayed aloud. My wife's brother-in-law was with us last night and that was nice.

Manic Week

Pretty manic week. Monday and Tuesday it was committees - three of them, including an all day and very full LTS Board meeting. I should have been at a fourth committee in the evening but thankfully I'd completely forgotten. They coped without me.

Wednesday it was meetings - midweek meeting in the evening where we looked at the last chapter of Deuteronomy. In the afternoon I was in the BUPA home I regularly visit on Genesis 3:1-15. The morning was pretty unusual. I spoke at the harvest service in the school my youngest son attends - on the parable of the sower. My Welsh is not great but we managed. Only really sticky moment was when one boy was confused over the word "drain" which he took in the English way whereas in Welsh it is used for thorns (pron: drine).

Thursday night was a church members meeting which went off okay. During the day I was busy with practical work - putting up a new curtain rail downstairs and assembling a new bedstead upstairs. Our old bed was being held up on one corner by a pile of books so it's good to get that sorted.

Friday was quieter with only the clubs in the evening to attend to. Rather a poor turn out to the older group sadly. Watched the film Duplicity when I got in with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. I think it was supposed to be clever and funny but we just didn't get it. Pretty useless film really but passed the time.

PS I haven't had my camera out this week. The pic was taken a week or two back when conkers were all that mattered.

Debriefing

As ever the last few days have been hectic and I feel in need of a debriefing. Do excuse me.

Wednesday - Meetings

Yesterday I was at my regular meetings for older folk - one am and one pm. The morning one was fine and I enjoyed walking the Kilburn High Road after it. Got my hair cut and bought a man bag and one or two other things en route. Evidence of the recession abounds with several shops closed down. In the afternoon one at the BUPA home we were low in numbers and the organiser was rather stressed busy putting up a display for St David's and St Patrick's Day (I've never seen green dragons for Wales before). Eleri's cousin's eldest, Ifan was with us overnight - up to check out London's art galleries. He joined us at our midweek meeting - and prayed in English! We were looking at the next bit in Deuteronomy 19 especially about two or three witnesses, which has a surprisingly large number of applications (just check the NT references).

Tuesday - EMF and LTS

The day before that I was lecturing in Welwyn at the EMF School on Seventh Day Adventists, Freemasons and Spiritualists. Rather a disastrous morning in some respects as I arrived late and had to leave early. In the afternoon we were interviewing at LTS.

Monday - LTS

On Monday I was at the LTS for the John Owen Centre Theological Study Group. We were discussing Tim Keller's book The Reason for God under the leadership of Mostyn Roberts. There was general agreement that while we have a lot of admiration for Keller and his book and like his zeal for souls some of the exegesis and theology leaves something to be desired. There are one or two surprisingly uncalvinistic statements in it. We agreed to do Catch the Vision by John J Murray next time.

Monday night was rather frustrating as Eleri was out then there was a problem with the internet on the laptop. Phoning BT is always a nightmare and though we eventually got the problem sorted it was frustrating and time consuming and by the time I was sorted I'd missed the University Challenge final, which I had to watch on iplayer later knowing the Trimble girl had won it for Corpus Christi. Ah well.

Weekend - Preaching, quiz night and party

On Sunday I preached on the final three chapters of Ezekiel and was not only glad to have completed the task but felt it came to something of a climax. We were in Hebrews 10 in the evening, a very searching passage.

The night before Rhodri had organised a quiz night for kids 15+ and around 15 showed up - half of them "outsiders". One old friend, Edmund, came and stayed with us for the weekend. I spoke (rather convolutedly I thought in the end, sadly) on learning from Agur (Proverbs). One fellow took a Bible and one a copy of my book on Regeneration (he's read most of Keller - he thought the negative first part better than the second positive part) and another person was very interested.

Saturday was Owain's birthday. He had a pirate themed party and enjoyed it a lot. Thankfully the weather was fine and they could spill out into the garden. They loved the trampoline and the rabbits (BTW did I mention there's been another litter recently? It's like a farm out there. I suggested that we put a rabbit in each of the party bags but we didn't in the end ;-).

TWTWTW

I must admit I'm half glad that the snow has come as I'm incredibly busy at present. It started last Monday with an evening committee meeting for the London Inreach Project in Covent Garden. Prior to that the day was fairly easy. Managed to go for a run round the park.

On Tuesday I was out all afternoon continuing to pursue the matter of where the Evangelical Library should move to. As reported, I spent Tuesday evening at Grove Chapel listening to jazz.

Wednesday was dominated by my regular visits to take services at Spring Court and Heath Grove Lodge (on Philippians 1 and Jonah 4). In between that I popped into central London to meet up with my good friend Chris Buckingham. In the evening it was our regular midweek meeting (looking at Deuteronomy 18).

In the midst of all this I found myself sheltering from the rain with my i-pod on. A live version of Sylvia (my all time favourite) came on and although I've listened to that song thousands of times it struck me once again how good it is. As I looked up there was the word Sylvia across the road in front to me (good job I'm not religious, eh?).

By Thursday I had so much to do I had to get up an hour earlier. I fitted most of it in, including writing a tract, preparing various other things and an afternoon Greek session at LTS on participles and the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount. In the evening we had our bi-monthly church members meeting. It's always a good time but I wish we could have more present.

On Friday I was in Welwyn at the EMF lecturing on JWs and Mormons. I had some business at a bank near Goodge Street en route home plus a visit to Finchley to read from Lloyd-Jones' masterful Preachers and preaching with Richard Raven a student at LTS who is one of our mentoring students. (He preached for us yesterday and quite acceptably too). We celebrated Dylan's birthday in the evening with fahitas and krispy kreme doughnuts. Also that evening, of course, it was the clubs for children and young people where I spoke about this current ad on the buses suggesting there is no God and we had a quiz.

Saturday morning we were giving out tracts in Golders Green in the bitterly cold wind - not the best weather for it. In the afternoon most of the family went to Aldenham Country Park and had a nice time there despite the cold.

Sunday morning I preached in the Welsh church, as reported. The three older boys were in Childs Hill to hear Richard. We went for a walk in Kenwood in the afternoon. I took communion in the evening adn then Richard preached on Psalm 145.

River still running

The busyness continues. This week I am auditing lectures at the John Owen Centre on the atonement from Garry Williams of Oak Hill. We started today on the Fathers and Calvin. Very interesting. There's one other auditor and 8 MTh-ers.

Yesterday was very full, of course. I preached to quite a large multi-national congregation in the morning on the end of Mark 2/beginning of Mark 3 and to a much smaller one on most of Hebrews 2 in the evening. So the Sabbath and Christ's work of redemption.

On Saturday we had one of our periodic clean ups at the chapel. A few of our Korean friends were helping so we were in double figures. We made some definite progress. It was nice to have chips together at lunch time and some went on to play football later - though not me as I was busy preparing for Sunday. I saw a bit of the England game and then settled down to watch the main feature just before 5 pm. Well, you know the result! Eleri was out for the evening with friends so I did some minimalist baby sitting for the youngest ones. Gwion had been out for a sleepover with a school friend. The two older boys went to bed early - whacked out because they are now doing a double paper round each. Rhodri the eldest was out elsewhere. He'd had his RADA audition in the morning.

Friday had been very busy too. I was lecturing at EMF Welwyn in the morning - on the JWs and the Mormons. I dashed from there to a committee meeting for Grace Publications. I missed most of the session with the new man at Evangelical Press (our distributors) but was in for the rest and gladly received my complimentary copy of the new biography of William Carey by John Appleby I can plod. From there it was on home and then out for the children's meeting and then the young people's meeting. We had just under 20 for the first then over 20 for the next. We are looking at the life of Elijah and it was Naboth's vineyard tonight. I had to leave a little early as Eleri and I were off to a quiz night at friends to raise funds for the Welsh School [no website at present]. (We raised over £150). I was in the winning team. I think knowing not only that Far from the madding crowd was by Thomas Hardy but also that the line is from Gray's Elegy written in a Country Church Yard clinched a closely fought contest.

The snag with busyness is that prayer can so easily be squeezed out. What care is needed.

Like a river

"People say I'm like a river - cos I'm never standing still". That's a line from an old ATF hit. No-one's ever said I'm like a river but I do feel like one sometimes. Life is so busy at times. Today (Thursday) hasn't been so bad but yesterday I had three meetings - two in old people's homes that I take fortnightly plus our regular midweek meeting in the church, where we looked at the first commandment from Deuteronomy 5. Work with old people is not easy especially the second lot where there is little sign of comprehension. There are some encouragements though. The other week a lady from Monserrat prayed beautifully when asked. Then this week a Jewish man asked why it is called Good Friday and I directed him to Isaiah 53 which he seemed not to know. In between the two meetings I was reading the Raymond Franz book I have mentioned. I saw two JWs on the corner so I showed them what I was reading - although they didn't want to know. Just then a Jewish lady turned up. She's always giving me things. She had a load of kosher soap in her car, which she said could be used in the church. I didn't even know soap could be kosher!

The day before (Tuesday) had been quite busy too. I'd forgotten that I'd arranged to meet the LIP church planters down in Covent Garden. I remembered in time to get there late. We have a regular pastoral meeting where we can discuss things. Then in the evening we had a rather poorly attended Christianity Explored meeting and a better attended planning meeting for the Holiday Bible Club we hope to have in April.

The day before (Monday) I was down at the Evangelical Library to hear Professor Helm's talk on Packer's "Fundamentalism" and the Word of God. I discovered that I do have a copy but unread. It first came out in 1958 and I guess I was advised to get a copy (mine was printed in the USA in 1977) by someone in the previous generation. It is a stout defence of Reformed theology which was very much under attack at the time in connection with the Billy Graham meetings. Professor Helm felt that Packer probably hadn't shifted in his theology but certainly has in his tactics and approach. We had a decent number there. It's me next month on Baxter's Call to the unconverted. Anyway must dash, I'm taking a church member to hospital now. He's in for a day or two.

Busy Days

It's been a busy few days, as ever.

Friday night: Our regular children and young people's work. Our best leader was back after a few weeks off to give a fine talk on adoption to about 20 kids. We had a quiz to follow. Then a similar number of older ones came for a talk followed by a session of 'Just a minute'.

Saturday: In the morning a few of us went out into Golders Green with a tract on 'The prodigal son'. We met all sorts - Polish labourers, an American Mormon, two JW ladies we know, a very nice Roman Catholic lady, Nigerian Catholics, Jews, some neighbours, etc, and a rather eccentric fellow, recently deported from Israel, with his own weird theories. He came along to church the next day but was very difficult to help.

In the afternoon I went along to Highbury Baptist church for the baptism of a lady called Debbie Smith who has been converted through the outreach of the Covent Garden and Soho church. Although brought up to go to church she rebelled and ended up in Soho in the late sixties involved in all sorts of things quite different to what she had been encouraged in as a girl. Without going into detail it was clear that she had sunk pretty low. Andrew Murray led the proceedings. We sang 'Amazing grace' and it seemed most appropriate. What a joy! More here.

Lord's Day: Back here I've painted myself into a corner slightly as I'm currently dealing with Ezekiel 25ff (am) and Exodus 35ff (pm) - not easy passages. The morning was okay (on judgement but with a gospel appeal at the end). I struggled more in the evening (on working and giving in the house of the Lord). A man new to the area came and two Muslims ladies who left just before we finished.

Monday morning: I was at a committee meeting arranging outreach in Trafalgar Square. We hope to be there again on November 17.

There's loads more on this week.