Some recent films

Unusually, I've been out to the cinema three times in as many weeks. I enjoyed all three films.

1. A beautiful day in the neighbourhood with Tom Hanks is a lovely quiet film (it even includes a period of silence at one point - rare in films). It is based on the true story of Fred Rogers and the journalist Tom Junod (called Eric Vogel.in the film).  It was particularly good to have someone who prayed and read his Bible as a central character in a film and not to see him mocked. Rogers was  a PCUSA minister I don't know how sound he was or was not. Anyway I was glad I caught the film. Worth checking out on any size screen.

2. Emma was the only one I manged to see with someone - it was Valentine's Day and this was just the film for the day. The film went for every laugh it could muster (having Bill Nighy and Miranda Hart in the cast really helps) but still stuck pretty much to Austen as far as I could see. All the comedy meant that the cringing point when Emma is mean to Miss Bates is very powerful. Great stuff. 

3. Little women is also of literary stamp and this new version I found delectable. I loved every bit of it (themes, actors, costumes, scenery, etc, etc). Of course, it's been presented as a feminist piece but most of the points made in that direction I thought were pretty fair. Louisa May Alcott was of Transcendentalist Unitarian stock so there is a lot missing but on its own terms the book is wonderful and this version just beautiful.

I notice that two of the three films were directed by women (Marielle Heller and Greta Gerwig; I thought Autumn de Wild might be a woman but it is a man).
PS As I initially thought, all three are women. Apologies for the confusion.

Abraham Conference at John Owen Centre Day 2

Messers Salter (seated) and Gibson (standing) 

We are a bit behind here but the second day at the Abraham conference was a fine one. We opened with a paper from David Shaw of Oak Hill and the whole matter of Abraham and justification by faith. He helpfully brought us up to speed with regard to the current debate with plenty of references to Wright and Barr et al. Perhaps the one failure was to relate this more directly to Abraham and not just to Romans 4 but this was a worthwhile paper. We then tried something a little different as David Gibson and Martin Salter presented papers arguing the paedo- and credo- Baptist positions respectively. Again Abraham was slightly lost in all this but it was a worthwhile exercise even if it shifted nobody's view. Dr Robert Strivens the LTS principal rounded off with an expansive and final paper on Abraham and Paul, arguing that Paul was consciously working out the promises made to Abraham.

I guess when we looked at Adam and Noah it was a little easier to focus simply on them and their times. Both being the first man of creation any extrapolation is both universal and individual to me. Abraham, on the other hand, is the father of the faithful and perhaps counter-intuitively that makes him a much bigger figure, one not so easily surveyed in a two day conference. Perhaps it will be possible to return to this towering figure another time and look at Abraham the prophet, Abraham the liar, Abraham and the land, etc, etc.

The recordings will be online in a few weeks I understand and a conference is planned for next year September 7 and 8.

Presbyterianism made simple

Continuing to sort I just came across this chart of Presbyterian Family Connections. Non-presbyterians may find it confusing. Presbyterians may have some surprises. The document can be accessed here.

Iain Campbell move

Interesting news here from Iain Campbell who is downsizing congregations.

Seion Ealing Green

I preached today in Ealing Green Welsh Presbyterian Church near Ealing studios. It is one of a tiny handful of Welsh speaking churches still left in London. I didn't attempt to preach in Welsh but we sang in Welsh and I at least tried to give my text in Welsh. We know several people there through the Welsh School connection. Most of the mothers headed out to Sunday School before I preached. They were practising something on Moses for the eisteddfod. It's hard to know what to make of the whole phenomenon or how best to handle it. I preached from Isaiah 1:18 and hope it made an impact. I would think others go and do the same sort of thing.

Aber Conference etc

There's been a little hiatus as my father-in-law's computer has been on the blink. It's sorted now so here's a little update on things.

Last Saturday my eldest and his uncle arrived home from the EMW camp after a real good week in Quinta, Shropshire. Shortly after that I left to return to London where I was due to preach the next day. I did the 240 mile journey in good time, allowing me to prepare some notice sheets and do some other preparations. I then did a bit of channel hopping before heading to bed.
We had a decent (30 plus) morning congregation even though so many were away, mostly on holiday. I preached from Acts 9 on Aeneas, a sermon I'd preached some years ago but freshly dusted down. It was good to be there. People appreciated my efforts in coming back. I had at least two kind invitations to lunch. What I did, after dropping off some I’d given lifts to, was to go to an elderly couple, where we had a lovely roast and good conversation. One of their sons, who is not a believer, lives with them and that brought an extra dimension to the conversation. Then after popping home for a short while I headed to another house for tea, where I and another family were kindly entertained. The teenage daughter was out for the count following her second week of camp. In the evening we were only eight (another man joined us much later). Rather than preaching a pastoral prayer I prayed for individuals. I preached on Psalm 3, as I’d done the previous week in Pembrokeshire. It was intended to encourage.

I then drove back to Aber. A rather busy M1 and a slight deviation between the M6 and Shrewsbury meant I didn’t get back until 2 am. I didn’t feel tired though. Adrenaline, I guess.
On the Monday morning I made my regular appearance introducing Geoff’s Monday morning lecture. This was the third of three messages well received messages on imputation. A large number packed Bethel Chapel to hear a fine message. That night was the first of the evening conference addresses from Derrick Adams the new minister of the Welsh speaking church here in Aber. I was on babysitting so didn’t hear it. It was brief and simple I was told and on our indebtedness to God.
Tuesday morning we had the first address from Ted Donnelly. By now we have heard three of the four messages on 1 Corinthians and they have been excellent examples of clear, relevant, winsome, well grounded, exposition. The recordings are well worth tracking down.

On Tuesday night Andy Christophides preached and last night evangelist Roger Carswell. Tonight it's James Muldoon (Reading) but I'm at home again. Both AC and RC used a lot of humour and were very lively - not to everyone's taste. One could easily point to problems with what they preached especially AC. However, overall the gospel was preached with some passion and some power and I for one was glad to hear such messages. My eldest son has a friend from school with him this week who came as an unbeliever. She has certainly benefited from all the messages.

The weather has been fair to middling. Signing on for five years was very straightforward and I spent a very pleasant Tuesday afternoon in the National Library (see here) reading through books needed for these lectures on the Westminster Assembly coming up. The pin-drop silence was lovely. When I went to the cafe later I bumped into a librarian who belongs to my father-in-law's church and we had a nice chat about books and things.

Meeting acquaintances old and new is part of the experience here (Greetings to fellow bloggers). We are planning to meet up with old friends later tonight in their digs. These last three evenings different ministers and their wives have been here at the manse (all Presbyterians it suddenly occurs to me - from Tasmania, Cardiff and N Ireland [ie the Donnellys]). You also meet people before and after the meetings and just around town. Talking through the messages with friends and family here is a great joy. I'm sure we don't talk about sermons enough. What a blessing to be here.

Holy Smoke

I don't want to go on with this thread much more but I thought that anyone who'd never seen one of these might find it interesting. I believe my old pastor used to use this very product. I think it's for pipes.