Six of us gathered last night with one online. We looked at Romans 12:3-8 and then prayed. We all prayed one after the other.
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Midweek Meeting December 3 2025
Six of us gathered last night with one online. We looked at Romans 12:3-8 and then prayed. We all prayed one after the other.
Westminster Conference 2025
So I have spent the last two days at the annual Westminster Conference and thoroughly enjoyed it. We are now well settled inSt Giles Christian Mission, strange as it seemd to be there away from centrl London the first time we did it. We tried something new this year. Normally most of the papers are followed by discussion time but this year on day one we had most of the diiscussion at the end of the day after the three papers had been given. This was only a partial success, among the problems being that speakers tended to produce over long papers, despite their best efforts. We kicked off with Mark Thomas on the Puritans and original sin - a solid and useful paper, quite demanding to listen to. Then Paul Levy took us through Machen's magisterial Virgin Birth of Christ. The third paper was from Donald J MacLean on the temptation of Christ from Thomas Manton but ending with Hodge and Shedd. Jeremy Walker led the discussion but it was hard to focus anywhere.
Day 2 was more traditional with Andy Young on the active obedience of Christ, covering pretty uncharted territory regarding Karh, Piscator et al. We then had a marathon from Sinclair Ferguson on Samuel Rutherford. We closed, in contrast, with a fresh, very lively and brief life of Athansius given by Gavin Kinnaird. Great numbers resnet. We meet again next year, God willing, around the same time.
Westminster Conference Starts Tomorrow
The Westminster Conference starts tomorrow at St Giles Mission, Islington
Lord's Day November 30 2025
Sunday was a bit different as I was sat listening and my assistant Eddie preached morning and evening. He got on well. Good number in the morning though loads were missing, as ever. Had a very nice Iranian meal with members in the afternoon.
Day Off Week 48 2025
Nearly a week gone by since my day off but I do want to record it. I won't really be having one this week. Four things - 1. Reading. I read a large chunk of Dianarama, a new book about the infamous interview and the facts surrounding it. Finished that now. 2/3. Watching. First, the new Frankenstein on Netflix, which I enjoyed. Director Guillermo Del Toro takes the Mary Shelley idea and does his own take. It's a great film (apart from some of the cgi) but misses a few tricks that a Christian worldview might provide help in. Great pre-Christmas film with all that snow. (I now recall that I have also seen his Shape of Water but not his Pinocchio, which I met get on to). Second, a couple of episodes of Prisoner 951 (there are four altogether). It is interesting becasue the family whose story is related lives nearby (I have met her) and we have a lot of Iranians in the church. 4. Eleri came home with a coat for me, from Costco. She's so kind.
Article in Christmas ET
The Evangelical Times has its annual Christmas supplement out. I have an article in it called Is there room in your heart for Jesus?
Lord's Day November 23 2025
Once again, it was a slow start last Lord's Day with a decent morning congregation adn one not so good in the evening. A new lady came who comes to ouor mothers and toddlers so that was a first. Other new people from previous weeks were not back and lots of tohers missing again too. One lady who rarely gets to us was there though adn that is encouraging. I decided that with Ephesians completed and just two chapters to cover in 2 Chronicles that I would do both, one in the morning and one in the evening. So it was the seond part of Jsiah's reign in the morning and the great Passover in his time and then in the evening the wickedness of sin, the danger of judgement and the hope of restoration. Great to come to that point. People have enjoyed the series and were glad to see that there are excellent things to befound even in potentially unpromising looking material.
Midweek Meeting November 19 2025
We were a large number last night plus three online. This was partly because it was also a members meeting. We began with Psalm 117 then had the meeting and finally had time for a few to pray.
Lord's Day November 16 2025
Rather late with this but we were altogether last Sunday, of coourse. It was a slow start with the morning congregation doubling in it course. I preached the last sermon in the series on Ephesians (number 340). The new lady from last week returned and another new person came in with a fold up bicycle under his arm. Hope we see him again. Nice to have one of my former assistants and his wife with us. In the evening it was communion and 2 Chronicles 34. We were about 16.
Nuremberg
Popped to the cinema this afternoon to see the film Nuremberg. Great acting, powerful drama and touching on such a crucial moment in world history the film had everything in its favour. It sligktly annoys me that we tend to get the humanist version of events as opposed to anything Christian. I have read books on Nuremberg by chaplains but this film gives no hint that there were chaplains present or that there was a spiritual dimension to what happend at all. Rather, we focus on a psychiatrist who was there and who wrote a commercially unsuccessful book on his time. With that caveat, great stuff. Ironically, the psychiatrist seems to have worked out that the Nazis were just normal human beings gone wrong not preternatural monsters. Warning - it includes what I assume is genuine footage of the dead and dying in the camps. Two past oscar winners on show and two past nominees I understand. Only one light moment I noticed - two doctors fight and an officer berated them - you are mental health professionals!
Double International Win for Wales
We sit quite light to the nation's sporting successes but on a day when both the Association and Rugby football teams have won it is worth noting. We beat Japan by one point with the last kick of the game in the rugby, which I watched most of, and Liechtenstein 1-0 in the soccer, too. Hopes of world cu[ qualification remain alive.
Two Latest Library Lunch Time Lectures Now UP
You can find my lecture on John Fawcett and Fergus Pearson on Thomas Scott along with several other lectures at the Evangelical Library Channel.
https://youtu.be/UHoFm9sbbMY?si=Ld6piNpjuuZEF21X
https://youtu.be/K5OLUCMClU0?si=icrRknv2eWOzdMGr
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