Bloggy Special 16

Life's a gas

Our street is currently looking a little like Blackburn, Lancashire (Beatles reference there for the initiated to go wioth the T Rex one in the title). The gas people are laying new pipes, etc. They've been on it for a while already. They're quite nice about it but it's a mess.

Last Weekend 05

If we can count Monday as still the weekend let me report briefly that I headed down to the Westminster Fellowship then to hear Robert Strivens (principal elect of LTS). First he preached to us from John 6 and then spoke on Doddridge and ministerial training. Around 20-30 were present in Westminster Chapel. We spent the afternoon profitably discussing the paper.

After briefly sketching the history of Doddridge and his academy Mr Strivens made five useful points. He commended systematic theology; argued the need for clear unequivocal teaching; attacked the chiefly pragmatic tendency of many colleges today to look for academic accreditation; commended a practical approach that prepares today's students not for the 20th Century but for the 21st; and called for an outlook that gives due weight to students' spiritual and devotional development.

One is hopeful that the future of the LTS is in good hands.

Last weekend 04

The Lord's Day was spent as ever in preaching here in Childs Hill. In the morning I preached on the famous first half of Ezekiel 37. It cries out for CGI. The above is a fairly tasteful though not particularly impressive rendition.

I spoke to the kids on Christology (person, nature, states, offices - we take no prisoners). We used a hymn I cobbled together from the catechism. (You can see it at my Psalms and hymns blog. Some sermons get to my sermon blog but it's all rather slow at present). My fourth son asked me if a zig-zag would be a better pattern for the states of Christ rather than the 'V' I suggested. That makes sense but the 'V' wins. When Christ comes again he will set up his kingdom here on earth, as it were. It is a coming down but not in the way he came before.

We are redecorating the dining room so only Rhodri's friend Sybil back for lunch and tea. In the evening I was in Psalm 10. The evening congregation is appreciably smaller than the morning one. Some people missing today. In the evening we also look at the 1689 Confession briefly - the Trinity this time. More theology!

I normally collect people from the after church fellowship around 10 pm but unusually I had a headache and so Eleri went. They had a puncture just over a quarter of a mile away. We found getting hold of the spare difficult and replacing the flat tyre impossible. A relief car took people home and we contacted the AA next day who dealt with things very well.

Last Weekend 03

After the trustees meeting under the chairmanship of Geoff Gobbett, it was time for tea. Always a lovely spread.

Several of the rest of the family joined me at this point. My two eldest sons were at the house of one of the deacons for an evangelistic event for older young people. I think about 30 came altogether, which is really great.

Back in Covent Garden between 40 and 50 gathered for the meeting to follow which I lead. Veteran evangelist John Blanchard preached on Romans 1:16. In passing he mentioned that it was my father-in-law Geoff Thomas who suggested to him leaving off the word 'the' in his Ultimate Questions. Their little joke is that it's Geoff's advice that has made it the huge seller it has been. Less is more, eh? (More on John Blanchard here).

Eleri enjoys being in Central London as it's a rare treat. We walked to Piccadilly Circus and caught the Number 13 home.

Last Weekend 02

After the Evangelical Library it was on to Covent Garden for the afternoon LIP meetings. It was good to see around 40 there.

I was not able to stay for the question adn answer session with John Blanchard but it was good to hear the reports on the Covent Garden adn Soho work from Derek Sewell and Ben Thomas.

I had to dash off then to an LIP trustees meeting over in the Swiss Church.

In the right hadn column of this blog you can see a button for John Blanchard's book Ultimate Questions.

Last Weekend 01

I've been busy since last weekend and haven't had chance to write things up as I'd wished until now. (Weekend is technically an unbiblical term but you know what I mean). Friday evening we had our clubs for kids and young people. I was speaking on the fourth commandment.

Then Satruday morning I popped into the Evangelical Library in Chiltern Street where Ian Densham was busy filming. He interviewed myself and Steve Taylor the Librarian. We'll see what he can do with it.

Hundred Texts 1-10

I was in the Evangelical Library recently when I spotted a copy of T C Hammond's commentary on the set of 100 texts used by Irish Church Missions in Bible clubs for children. Although designed for use amongst Roman Catholic children, they are suitable for teaching all children (and adults for that matter) basic gospel truths. I looked on t'internet for a list of the texts and found them here. Thank you Timothy Davis. T C Hammond's biography (1994 Banner of Truth) is well worth reading. See here.

These are the first ten.

1. Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
2. John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
3. Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
4. John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
5. 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
6. 1 Timothy 2:5,6
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time …
7. Luke 11:13
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
8. John 5:39
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
9. Mark 10:13,14
Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”
10. Matthew 4:10
Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”

Hymn of the week 14

Wesley yet again

Give me the faith which can remove
And sink the mountain to a plain;
Give me the childlike praying love,
Which longs to build Thy house again;
Thy love, let it my heart overpower,
And all my simple soul devour.

I want an even strong desire,
I want a calmly fervent zeal,
To save poor souls out of the fire,
To snatch them from the verge of hell,
And turn them to a pardoning God,
And quench the brands in Jesus’ blood.

I would the precious time redeem,
And longer live for this alone,
To spend and to be spent for them
Who have not yet my Savior known;
Fully on these my mission prove,
And only breathe, to breathe Thy love.

My talents, gifts, and graces, Lord,
Into Thy blessed hands receive;
And let me live to preach Thy Word,
And let me to Thy glory live;
My every sacred moment spend
In publishing the sinner’s Friend.

Enlarge, inflame, and fill my heart
With boundless charity divine,
So shall I all strength exert,
And love them with a zeal like Thine,
And lead them to Thy open side,
The sheep for whom the Shepherd died.

The hymn itself is wonderful. Wesley’s original first stanza is even more striking:

O that I was as heretofore
When first sent forth in Jesu’s Name.
I rush’d thro’ every open Door,
And cried to All, ‘Behold the Lamb!’
Seiz’d the poor trembling Slaves of Sin,
And forc’d the Outcasts to come in.

Oh for Methodist zeal!

Weekly Proverb 23

Wisdom is the source of many great works for which she should be praised. 31:31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate

The closing verses of Proverbs speak about the glory of wisdom. As with the neighbouring book of Ecclesiastes, the whole book ends with a reference to the judgement.

Here we are at the city gate, the place where we first heard wisdom’s voice (see 1:21) and the place of judgement. And who is before the court or, perhaps better, whose name is on everyone’s lips? The name of this woman, this woman who represents wisdom. And so it will be on the final day of judgement itself. The name on everyone’s lips then will be the name of Christ, God’s Wisdom, for then it will be realised that every good work ever done has been done through him.

Will your good deeds be on display on that day? It is only possible to have any truly good deeds through the Lord Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God. Therefore, look always and only to him. That is the message of this book.

10 German words we know

1. Angst - Fear - in English, a neurotic feeling of anxiety and depression
2. Delicatessen - Prepared cooked meats, relishes, cheeses, etc.; a shop selling such foods
3. Doppelganger - Double goer - a ghostly double, look-alike, or clone of a person
4. Ersatz - A replacement or substitute, usually implying inferiority to the original, such as "ersatz coffee”
5. Glitz - Glittering, sparkling - gaudiness, glittery, ostentatious
6. Hinterland - Back country - remote area; land bordering on coastal land (also used as a trope)
7. Kindergarten - Children's garden - The first kindergarten was created in Blankenberg (Thüringen) by Friedrich Fröbel (1782-1852) in 1839
8. Poltergeist - a ghost that makes mysterious noises, from poltern, to make noise
9. Rucksack - Back pack
10. Zeitgeist - Spirit of the age/times

10 Russian words we know

1. Babushka (grandma)

2. Matryoshka (nest of dolls)

3. Balalaika (triangular mandolin)

4. Pogrom (slaughter of Jews)

5. Cosmonaut (astronaut)

6. Sputnik (spaceship)

7. Steppe

8. Molotov (as in cocktail - a petrol bomb)

9. Samovar (tea urn)

10. Vodka

10 Irish words we know

1. Bog (from bogach, a bog, or bog, soft) a piece of wet spongy ground
2. Brogues (from bróig, a shoe) a type of shoe (or accent)

3. Galore - (from go leor, many) plenty, a lot

4. Slab - (from slaba, mud, itself likely derived from Scandinavian, perhaps via English slab muddy place) piece or slice

5. Whiskey - (from uisce beatha, water of life) distilled alcoholic beverage

6. Leprechaun - (from leipreachán) elf, sprite

7. Slogan - (from sluagh-ghairm) troop-cry/war-cry

8. Spree - (from the Irish word spraoi, meaning fun) as in shopping spree
9. Twig - (from tuig, understand or realise) catch on, realise

10. Craic - Fun, kicks

Short Poem 29

William Hilton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It's about the right time of year now for this poem by John Keats from around 1820. Keats lived just over from here in Hampstead. His house is open to the public (next to the Library). What poetic potential he showed. Ode To Autumn is known as the subtlest and most beautiful of all Keats odes. More here.

Ode To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

10 Dutch words we know

1. Etch
2. Easel
3. Waffle
4. Spook
5. Kink
6. Geek
7. Yacht
8. Deck
9. Skipper

10. Furlough