LTS End of Year

It was good to be at the end of year service of the London Theological Seminary once again as leaving students spoke and there was a report on the year just gone. Spencer Cunnah who is the pastor of the church that meets where we were assembled chaired. Vice-Principal David Green gave the report this year and interviewed the students because the Principal Robert Strivens is on Sabbatical. Students were leaving for Germany, South Africa and other places, some not being clear exactly what was next, as ever. The preacher was my father-in -law, Geoff Thomas, who took us to Isaiah 6, very powerfully. Now entering his fiftieth year in ministry, he mentioned with pleasure the fact that I had studied at LTS and that my son and his grandson starts there next term. Unusually, the weather kept us off the lawn for tea in the main but it began to brighten up, chiming in with the good prospects next year when several new UK students join the seminary. David Green also drew attention to the new church planting course that begins in October. See more on the LTS website. There were about 160 present.

Trips to Wales

Bottom of Brynhyfryd, Croesyceiliog

The last two weeks have seen me making trips to Wales to collect two of my sons from Wales. First, it was Dylan, who's just finished at Cardiff. I stayed with my sister in Cwmbran and enjoyed being back home. Croesyceiliog has a million memories for me - where the man used to keep his goat, places where kids I remember lived, etc.

I went for a coffee in the town centre and enjoyed hearing words like skinny latte, cappuccino, Americano, etc, in a Cwmbran accent. It had never struck me before that those words aren't London words as such but words I first heard here.

I also fitted in a meet up with my old LTS friend Bernard Lewis (minister of Emmanuel) in the massive new Sainsbury's in Crindau. Crindau is where my mother grew up so it's slightly weird, it having a massive superstore in the middle of it. Dylan is now in California with friends.

Next it was Dewi from Swansea. This time I was much quicker and made a very short stay with my sister-in-law and family in Cardiff. I missed most of the England game but that was probably for the best. I brought Dewi back with his friend Tom. They were in (Welsh) Junior School together and have now linked up again on the same course at Swansea. They are at Wimbledon today.

Lord's Day June 22 2014

This Sunday morning I went over the hill to Highgate Road Chapel. Their very old building was transformed some years ago and they have quite attractive modern facilities. The auditorium is upstairs.

Things are a little transitional there at present as the present pastor, Andrew Hill, is leaving to work with SASRA next month. As it turned out Artur Piotrowski, his assistant, led and the preacher was George Platt (on 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 10). The format of the service involved several leading and included a testimony from George, an open time of prayer and some more liturgical elements. The hymns were projected on to the wall and seemed to be drawn from different sources. Their youth pastor Simon played the piano and Andrew played a soprano sax from the front. We were around 30, a third being under-10s who had their own programme - a good range of people.

There was coffee to follow and a barbecue was also arranged. They have no evening service as such (though there was a 4 pm meeting) so I was glad to go along to Childs Hill where Robert Strivens was preaching on Abraham from Genesis 12. Excellent stuff. We were around 26 I think.

Father's Day 2014

Had a nice Father's Day Sunday. I got nice cards and two books, one on Dickens

(a digest of his novels which I often complain are too long) and a timely autobiography of Pele.

Lord's Day June 15 2014

So this Sunday I went along to the Kensit Evangelical Church in Finchley, next door to the LTS. In a piece of poor timing I managed to choose a Sunday when the minister Spencer Cunnah was away but Owen Jones is a familiar face (like Spencer he often leads the community singing at the Aber Conference). He and his wife are back in London working with students at Oak Hill, where their son Ashley once studied.

Owen preached straightforwardly with a three point sermon on 1 Peter 2:22 in the morning (Christ's purity, patience and twofold purpose) and in the evening from Joshua 3 on God before, beside, behind, beyond and beneath).

The congregation was a similar size to the one at St John's Wood Rd (ie around 50) but with an older demographic I guess, though perhaps the same number of children under 11. The church is also a modern building though an older one and with the hymns projected onto the wall (though you had the choice of using the hymn book - the new Christian hymns which we also use). They used a piano keyboard in the morning and the organ in the evening. There were about half the number present pm. There was coffee after that service but I was quite tired and did not hang around.

World Cup again

And again ... Costa Rica's turn to upset the odds this time. Not quite so stylish but unexpected (3:1!) and so the whole thing continues to fascinate. (We're not talking about rugby at the moment).

World Cup

I haven't got too excited about the World Cup until today. The Dutch impressively outplayed the Spanish to win 5-1! The win included an amazing goal by Robin Van Persie.

Titus Andronicus

Got myself down to The Globe yesterday to see Titus Andronicus. I was (as my parents would have put it) "up in the gods" this time and glad of a seat. At least three people fainted in the heat. It's an early play and not in the top half of a list of Shakespeare greats. It's not Hamlet or Lear, although you can see him groping his way there. It is a pretty gruesome affair and it is no surprise to know that it was very popular in the 1590s. If someone told me they'd seen what's in the play I'd be pretty intrigued I would think. Let's just say a lot of people die and most of them on stage. The play appears to have some humorous elements. This production certainly did and they were most welcome. It is difficult to see how such a pleasant sunny afternoon could have been so pleasant without them.

Through many hardships

I led a funeral at the church last Tuesday, the third we have had had this year, which is unusually high for us. The dear lady was a good age. She grew up in Sri Lanka and India but lived most of her life here. I was glad to be involved. I couldn't take the last one as I was unwell. I preached from Acts 14:22 and the phrase about needing to pass through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, as this lady had gone through some real struggles for which she was not always prepared. I felt very tired after the service and the burial and so on. I guess it is emotionally draining. Death is a horrible thing even for the believer.

In praise of assistants

While at the hospital the other day I met up with someone who is a contemporary with me with regards to the heart by-pass op. We are comrades in the wars, as it were. It was good to see him looking well. At one point he said that all was well and that his assistant was dealing with it all. He is an artist and for just a moment there was a look in his eye that said "And perhaps, I'm superfluous. They can probably carry on without me for years to come."

I know the feeling. My fellow elder and my assistant at the church have got on with things through my illness in such a way that I not only have no worries but can't think of what I might worry about. I got a similar impression down at St John's Wood Road where the assistant pastor seemed to have it all in hand. Even biblically, think of a Barnabas or a Luke, say. Assistants - the unsung heroes of many walks in life.

Politicians

These are not easy times in our democracy for those who love the truth. The big topic at the moment is schools and extremism. Many things being said leave one uneasy.

For example, former Home Secretary and education secretary David Blunkett sought to end an interview on the subject on Radio 4 on Monday with a reassuring note by saying "... After all we had to take on the issue of creationism and people who wanted to set up trusts and sponsor chains whose aim was to teach a particular completely bizarre form of Christianity ..."

Meanwhile, last Saturday The Times told us that "the Conservatives will go into the next election pledging to eradicate illiteracy within a generation, ... A commitment in the party’s manifesto would ensure that all children leave school with strong reading and maths skills." It trails a speech by education secretary Michael Gove in which they say he would frame his plan as a moral crusade to “save lives which are currently wasted”. Salvation by education then. I thought that had been tried.

Lord's Day June 8 2014

As I am on sabbatical one thing I thought I might do is to visit nearby churches with whom we have a level of fellowship.

I started last Sunday with St John's Wood Road Baptist Church, a church in the Association of Grace Baptist Churches South East (though may be we would sound more strict than they do on the matter of who is invited to the table). It is just over three miles from us meets in a modern building near Lord's Cricket Ground. They are further into London than us and in a slightly more affluent area. Attendance appeared to be a little larger and younger than us and equally diverse. (Some OMers were there and other visitors which may have skewed things). Chris Hawthorne is also on sabbatical so the preacher was his assistant Simon Pethick. An enthusiastic young man led the service. The style is relaxed and informal but reverend. We sang from a screen traditional and modern songs with the music led from the front by three musicians and two singers. Simon preached a fine Kelleresque sermon on Jonah 2. Communion followed.

An excellent lunch followed and it was good to chat to a few I knew and others I did not. I would have returned for the evening get together perhaps but it was not on that day so I went to Childs Hill where our own assistant Andrew Lolley preached well from James 1 to about 15 of us.

Skivers, Moochers

I have a clear memory of the first time I heard the word skiver. It was my first year, the first weeks probably, in Grammar School. Our class (1E) was in a demountable classroom near the woods - out of bounds, of course. From the woods we heard singing it was Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep by Middle of the Road. A helpful voice said "Skivers miss". I wasn't a hundred per cent sure what the word meant but no doubt it referred to what I had until then known as moochers (everyone else says mitchers). I think I assumed that skiving from Junior School was mooching and mooching from big school was skiving. Mark Twain called it playing hookey I later discovered.

I see mooch is listed here

mooch Verb. 1. To idle away time, to loaf around. E.g."The kids were just mooching about the streets looking for something to do." 2. To amble along, to walk casually. 3. To play truant. [Welsh use] Noun. 1. The idling away of time. 2. The act of ambling or walking casually. E.g."I'm going for a mooch around the shops."
I'd meant to put this on my Proverbs and sayings blog here, which I have now.

On Sabbatical

In was at The Heart Hospital yesterday and they seem quite happy with progress made. My Sabbatical leave officially started last Lord's Day and so I have spent the week reading and writing. I have various projects on hand including a little local church history and a book for pastors as well as further research on 19th Century Baptists, the period 1660-1689, etc, etc. I've mad a good start and hope I can keep it up.

10 Rules for self-examination

Someone sent me seven from A W Tozer. As you know I like tens so I've added three more of my own Rules for Self-Examination

1. What do we want most?
2. What do we think about most?
3. How do we use our money?
4. What do we do with our leisure time?
5. What company do we enjoy?
6. Who and what do we admire?
7. What do we laugh at?
8. What do we talk about most?
9. When we think of the future what do we think about?
10. What do we pray about in private?

"For where your treasure is - there your heart will be also!" Luke 12:34