Book and Candle

The season is here and so we  have our traditional Advent Candle up and running and our book this year is Paul David Tripp's Come let us adore him

Aber 2015 Last Session

Our final plenary session at Aber featured Paul Gamston preaching on Luke 13. He sought to apply the principles of the passage to those of us at the conference and hearing him there or online (as I had had to be with one of my sons in A & E following the football - he's alright). It was especially good to hear a clear gospel appeal, something that has not been so prominent as in the past, perhaps.

It has been a good conference on the whole. I have not attended any of the extra time or prime time sessions or prayer meetings or anything like that but I did get to the three afternoon seminars - David Meredith on contemporary evangelism, Phil Hill on backsliding and (best attended of the three) Paul David Tripp on relationships. The first two included helpful discussion.

Of course, it is also good to meet various folk. I might have mentioned our meeting up with three other couples, most of whom had been contemporaries with me at University. There was also a family celebration one lunch time with a large number of relatives most of whom have been at the conference. We had lunch today too with a former assistant at Childs Hill and his family and this afternoon I had coffee with a Facebook friend keen to meet face to face.

So a great week. The EMW Youtube Channel seems a little erratic at present but some of the messages are up and running and presumably they will all be eventually (as are the 2014 ones).

Aber 2015 Evening session 04/Fourth morning sessions

So we are coming to the end of the conference and the main speakers have already spoken. Paul David Tripp spoke on Thursday evening from Psalm 27. He told us at the beginning of the conference how ill he has been recently and that this was his first engagement since that. Speaking these three times and in other meetings has been quite draining. I liked the way he ended urging us to start the day by gazing on God, then remembering who we are (no identity amnesia) and resting in God alone before acting in the day.

This morning (Friday) David Meredith gave his final message from Joshua, from Joshua 18 (chiefly) speaking of a day that was good, fair but dangerous and a day of promise. These have been fine expository messages in a book that we may easily be tempted to neglect. What a privilege to be there.

Aberystwyth 2015 Evening session 03/Second and third morning sessions

As tends to happen I've gotten a bit behind with my reports but let me rectify that. Since the report we have had Paul David Tripp's second evening message. This one was from Mark 8 and Jesus walking on the water. The Tuesday night was amazingly good I knew that the next night couldn't come with the same impact and it didn't. I was also feeling rather tired, which didn't help.

Meanwhile in the mornings David Meredith has been pressing ahead with Joshua. On Wednesday morning he looked at the Gibeonite deception in Chapter 9 and this morning (Thursday) at the daughters of Zelophehad in Chapter 17. Both were good solid expositions from the text with application. Wednesday's burden was for us to be discernment, to show integrity, to choose carefully and to remember grace. This morning it was the need to realise that people suffer, to find relief from suffering in God, who has a special place in his heart for his people for his people who suffer and noting that even when a person suffers and it is his own fault there should be compassion.

He gave a striking quote from Robert Murray M'Cheyne (it's quoted in Francis Chan's Crazy love which may be the source)

"I am concerned for the poor but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day. I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give.

To give largely and liberally, not grudgingly at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money.

Oh my friends! Enjoy your money; make the most of it; give none away; enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity."

So we are being well fed here and our responsibility to act on what we have heard is growing by the minute.

Aber Conference 2015 Evening Session 2

This evening (Tuesday) we had Paul David Tripp giving the first of three evening addresses. He spoke on the latter half of Romans 8 and it was superb. This is my first exposure to Pastor Tripp and it was just wonderful. He spoke of grace, God for you. He spoke of uncomfortable,  intervening, unstoppable, providing and undefeatable grace. It is settled he told Christians, now rest. God is not making spontaneous redemptional decisions. See here.