Another Essay Taking Shape

Phot

Richard Dawkins and "The Root of All Evil?"

Many people were fascinated by Prof. Dawkins attack on faith in his recent TV series "The Root of All Evil" (Channel 4, 9th/16th Jan). What has been interesting has been how scientists with a Christian faith have responded to his claims. The following link points to an insightful review by Denis Alexander, first published in The Times Higher Ed Suppement.

Click here to view article.

Monday Pic on Tuesday

M-Way Madness

In the last four days I have driven to London and back, a nice little 1000mile trip. With 14 hours of driving, backache, and depressing depreciation on the car!

Now whenever I close my eyes, I can see the white road markings going past me - my own version of white line fever I suppose.

Boris, Noris and Doris were very well behaved on the long journeys, mostly due to the fact that my wife won an in-car DVD player on ebay and they were Disneyed into complete submission, if not stupifaction.

David Scott 1932-2006

On Monday, we went to the funeral for David Scott, who died the previous week. He was a warm hearted, gentle, sincere man of God, who had trusted Christ for decades. He had a wonderful, almost unique, ability to make individual people feel welcomed, loved, and valued both in the church community and elsewhere. Born to missionary parents in China before the war, David's family was imprisoned by the Japanese and then expelled from China by the Maoists. They moved back to Scotland, first to Wishaw and then to Perth, where they lived in the house we now own. David's parents lived in this house for the rest of their lives, and David visited us recently to look around the place and reminisce.

He had been ill for some time, and re-appeared at church at the end of 2005 for a few weeks, when he thought he was beating the illness. His final decline was rapid, and though that means he was taken from us sooner than anticipated, medically this was a mercy. My wife saw David shortly before he died. He still radiated love and delight at seeing people, and the enormous hug he gave her was full of strength.

So many people remember his smile, his warmth, his deep Christian commitment, his strong handshake and bear-hugs. We miss him because the love of Jesus radiated from him. Our thoughts and prayers are not with David, as he is now safe with The Lord - but with his wife Anne, and their children.

A Hazy Shade of Monday

thoughtfortheday

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph 2:10, NIV)

Whilst I am not convinced by that old line that "God has no hands but ours....", which seems to make Him dependent on our co-operation to achieve His purposes; I am concerned that unless I co-operate, I will miss my opportunity to be involved in what He is doing.

I pray that I will have the discernment and wisdom to know what good I should do today, and the responsive will to do it, and the servant's heart to do it joyfully. We may be God's workmanship - but judging myself alongside that prayer, I know I'm but a work in progress!

Number Thirty-Five

Happy Birthday to Me! The day got off to a fine start, then Boris, Norris (and to an extent Doris, too) sang Happy Birthday to me, and gave me some nice hill-walking related presents. 35 - that's OLD!

MP3 Bible Teaching

An amazing range of sermons is available for free download (you have to register - but there's no fee) from www.allsouls.org . You can search the sermon data base either by Bible passage or by preacher's name. If you do so - you'll find that virtually no corner of scripture is left untouched, while some of the well-known speakers include John Stott, Don Carson, Dick Lucas, Luis Palau, Alec Motyer, Alister McGrath, Rico Tice, Derek Tidball, Elaine Storkey, Peter Jensen, David Jackman and more.. (so loads of variety in both style and emphasis). Do yourself a favour - if you have an iPod and a long journey anywhere ahead of you - begin with John Stott's (pictured above) series on "The Integrated Christian".

Monday

Next Winter's Wood

Next winter's wood has arrived. I've spent many happy hours splitting and staking it.

An Answered Prayer

Feeling gloomy and dispondent last Thursday at Glasgow's Queen Street station, I prayed on the station platform; "Lord, I'm feeling miserable, please let me meet someone who will encourage me". Someone came and sat in the seat facing me and pulled out a book on church planting which he was studying intently. He is a minister in Arbroath and was enthusing about the potential growth of the church there and all he'd like to see happen in the town for God. It was hugely encouraging!

This was an unusually direct (and fast) answer to prayer - for which I was extremely grateful. So grateful in fact that I am directing you, gentle reader, to his church website.
http://www.arbroathstandrews.org.uk/

Fogged Up Monday

When negative is so positive

Last weeks drama came in the form of a pregnancy scare, which thankfully was only a scare. The thought that Boris, Norris & Doris were to be joined in October-time by a little Horace was too grim to contemplate. When I say I "thank God" it wasn't, I say it sincerely and quite literally.

Tim Keller Articles and Sermons

There's a website about Tim Keller here:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/bio/timkeller.html

It's a good little page with many of his articles and several sermons (MP3's) available for free download. There's some superb and inspiring teaching here. There's not only detailed studies of the Bible's text but some very perceptive applications and analysis of contemporary culture and society. Although Keller ministers in New York, many of his most telling points translate to the UK context too. His own church website www.redeemer.com is very fancy, but you have to pay for many of the sermons there!!

Lookalikes

.....Straw ................................. Headmaster

The similarities between these malevolent manipulators are too uncanny to be mere co-incidence. Surely they must be related. I think we should be told.

NHS Today

Never Not A Dull Moment

There's never not a dull moment round here, is there?

East Lomond

The Webbs took, the Mrs & I, Boris, Norris and Doris up East Lomond hill this morning. A great walk it was too, and despite the dreary half-light, the views were more impressive than I'd expected. We could see snow on the Ochil's, the Pentlands, the Forth Estuary, Kinnoull Hill, and many dark shadows of big hills in Northern Perthshire, but it was to dark to pick out their shapes. Boris was a bit whiney, and although the climb was well within his limits he was suffering from not having been put to bed by Gnat-the-crazy-babysitter until very late. Norris' three year old legs managed it amazingly well, while little Doris rode on my back and enjoyed the ride. Following pic not mine - nicked from a tourist guide!

Book Notes: In The Beginning by Alister McGrath

"IN THE BEGINNING: THE KING JAMES BIBLE AND HOW IT

CHANGED A LANGUAGE, A CULTURE AND A NATION"

Just finished reading this Chrsitmas present on the way home on the train today. It's a good read, and a fine story, well told. However - it's not as good a book as it shold have been, given the matter in hand and the credentials of the illustrious author. One of McGrath's skills is his ability to pitch his writing at various levels, and this one is certainly 'popular' in approach. His attempts to assume little or no background knowledge and to explain terms as he progresses is well intentioned, but occasionally awkward. The story rattles along well, and builds nicely with the post-Medieval, Renaissance background, and mechanics of printing described in detail. The religious ferment of the Reformation is briefly sketched and the ongoing debates from Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth's reign examined alongside Mary Tudor's counter Reformation. The various translations of scripture from this era are also assessed in a lively fashion.

What then ultimately dissapoints is the second half of the book. It is subtitled "how it changed a culture, language and a nation" - but the book is so weighted towards the background and production/translation questions that the influence of the book is compressed into a mere chapter and afterword. The book ultimately fails to satisfy because of this serious imbalance. To be honest, it looks as if the author got carried away with the research into the first half of the book and ran out of the time and space to do equal justice to the following four centuries promised on the title page! Perhaps McGrath has fallen victim to an overly ambitious publication rate? !

Whatever the answer to that speculation, I still haven't recovered from reading his self-confessedly outrageous comment on the nature of the translation of texts:

"Translations are like women, if they are faithful they are not beautiful, and if they are beautiful they are not faithful".

Another Week

The Perils of Leadership

Having recently been given some leadership responsibility in my local church, the following is a sobering thought. In 1Sam5 (1-8) the people of God are lead into the disastrous kingship of Saul because of the folly of the last judges (Samuel's sons). Poor leadership had huge implications for all the people. While that didn't excuse many of the poor choices the people went on to make, it certainly prepared the way for harm and led the people into great danger.

Ff-FF-Frrrreeezing!!

As a Post

We received the concerning news that young Norris is deaf. Well clinically he's actually right on the borderline of deafness. The timpanogram showed that the conductivity of sound through his ears is very poor indeed - barely responding in fact. The cause is a build up of fluid behind the eardrum due to infection, apparently. The treatment will be the insertion of gromits into the ear to drain the fluid - which should restore hearing quickly. The problem is that this will expose a 3year old to the dangers of general anaesthetic. However this will be worth doing if his development (and behaviour) continues to be affected. I am realising that some of the time I thought he was being just naughty and defiant - he was just not hearing me.

Santa and the Tooth Fairy

Christmas is a very strange time of year. Like many Christian families we find ourselves uneasily trying to celebrate with the usual round of friends, family, colleagues, school parties etc and trying to recognize the birth of Christ as the central point. This isn't without it's tensions either.

For a start, what about the Christmas tree. For years I have hated the wretched things. Never mind the paganism, they are dirty, take up too much space and drop needles all over the house. I never bothered having one, however my wife has always bought one every year. To be honest this year it grated the least that it has ever done and I didn't resent bringing the thing in at all. This is for a number of reasons, firstly I'm probably just mellowing with age (!), secondly the kids are now at an age when the tree thing really thrills them in innocent joy, thirdly I think that in terms of making Christmas 'Christian' by making Christ central - I reckon there are bigger fish to fry (starting with my own attitude to material things).

Then we come to Santa. Put aside for a moment the oft-noted fact that he is extremely mean spirited when flying over world trouble-spots and disaster zones, but buys the whole of Toys-R-Us for western kids....... Here is an issue on which my wife and I disagree. She was raised in a home where Santa was strongly pushed and believed in - I wasn't. I can't bring myself to straight-facedly tell the kids stuff I know to be false (why then should they believe anything I say?) whereas for the Mrs, Santa was a treasured childhood memory she wants to pass on. I have always been evasive on the subject and this year young Boris noticed (for the first time) the discrepancy between the two stories. "Telll me the truth Daddy, is Santa real, I MEAN THE TRUTH" he said! I mumbled something about his beard looking awfully white for someone who had come down a sooty chimney and tried to change the subject sensing wifely dissaproval!

As for the tooth-fairy. Boris lost his first tooth on the 18th and stashed the tooth under the pillow. Amazingly the tooth fairy failed to show up. Next they'll be telling that she isn't real either.

Monday Pic 2006

MonPic Christmas Week

A Turning Point

We've just moved our third (read "last") child out of our bedroom. The cot has moved to Doris' own room and she is in it - howling the house down in protest. No more babies in our room! A strange feeling of liberation but yet another sign of age, another era passed. Bring on the grey hair and wrinkles.

It's Monday Again

A day marked out so far only by its unremarkableness.

I'm Lost

Young Norris (aged 3) gave his mother the slip in a big electrical shop today, and she couldnt find him anywhere. Amazingly, he had marched himself to the customer services desk and announced, "I'm Lost".

Afterwards he said, "I was sad - but I wasn't frightened".

Sunset on the Carse

The frightening power of the Bible

I realised again this weekend how frightening the Bible actually is in practice. I have the job of doing some of the preaching at church, and the relationship between preaching and life is a curious one. What I have experienced over this last year is that whatever I am planning on preaching on, on the Sunday, I get tested on during the week running up to it. Preaching on Hannah (and on sacrificial giving) co-incided with a family financial crisis. Preaching on 'households' in Ephesians 5, meant disruption at home. The week I had to speak about pride was horrendous!!... and so it goes on. This wasn't some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy either! These were things which happened from outside my control.

There is a theory in the study of 'homiletics' that the preacher should first of all ensure that the word is applied first to the preacher. It is often spoken about as if this was some form of duty or task to complete. This is however far from the case. I am increasingly finding that the same God who calls you to preach, also inflicts the lessons of that word on you in unmistakable ways. Mr H. suggested that I preach a series on 'abundant blessing' therefore! It's a fine suggestion, perhaps I'll start with Song of Solomon! :-))

What I have discovered is that a mere theory of the inspiration of the Bible is only a start. You know the inspiration of scripture is real when you almost tremble opening its pages for the effects it will have on you and your family. This is no tame book - but a living word.

Monday Thing

Beautiful cold winter's day.
Just as it should be in December!

But how can another week have gone past already? Having adjusted to a completely new routine in life, with Boris at school, Norris at nursery 4 days and Doris here with me, while 'she who must be obeyed' is at work - life seems to dissappear faster than I thought possible. Yikes! - that's what old folk say.

Renamed

For reasons as yet not fully understood even by those directly responsible, our three children shall henceforth be referred to as, "Boris, Norris and Doris" respectively. I trust that rules in any futher confusion.

The Monday Photo

An unremarkable week livened up only by my wife celebrating her birthday week by falling on the ice, hurting her back and then passing out. I have been experiencing all the joys of stomach bugs. (yuk)

Nearly Snow

The promised huge snowfall was a damp slushy squib. There's still a little on the hills, no snowballs, snowmen or sledging though!
28.11.05

Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear....

Glasgow
Burger King
Offspring #2
Fire Extinguisher
Foam
Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear....

Name That Bird

One very large and extremely nosey bird has spent its morning staring in at us from the garden wall. we reckon it's an infamous grouse? !? No idea if that's right or not though. Click on pic to see an enlarged version in which you can actually see the thing. The pic from the better angle was taken through the kitchen window - so the flash bounced back off the glass and spoilt it a bit - nevertheless you can see the thing. Offsprung #1 (who's off school with an explosive tummy bug) was most impressed.

Dedication's What You Need

Yesterday we had offspring #2 and #3 dedicated at church, with a suitable gathering of the clans to mark the occasion - a special day in our family. It would be foolish to argue that the event has made an observable difference to the kids, it hasn't. Likewise it would be wrong to suggest that it made God love them more, or differently. It would be just as false to say that they love God more either. What we can say, is that the most foolish thing would be to let children be born and not mark the event in spiritual terms, firstly thanking God for them, and then seeking His blessing upon them, and requesting His wisdom for us as we manage them. Ceremonies are important in the Christian life, because they physically and demonstrably represent the invisible, and remind us of vital truths. The Israelites built a huge cairn when they crossed the Jordan in order never to forget what God had done. This is our cairn.

Strangelight

Monday 21 Nov (am). Strange patches of orange indicate either clouds or aliens approaching.

Lord Lucan Found!

Like good coffee, perfection should not be hurried

It's better than the T.V.!

Wisdom

At college yesterday guest speaker at worship was Dominic Smart - who I haven't heard speak for many years. He spoke on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 the famous "a time for...." passage. He spoke about the extremes in each verse being a literary device, meaning encompasing all in between - not focusing our attention to the margins of excperience only. Then he contrasted contemporary 'management' and 'success' culture with the widsom of living a life responsive to God and all he brings us, whether it causes rejoicing or weeping etc. This he reckoned was the recipie for the preservation of sanity in Christian ministry. This is all impressive stuff - but what was equally so, was that I haven't spoken to him for a decade, but not only did he remember my name but also what we spoke about. This is stuff to emulate!

Grey Day

Cold, windy, grey, dark. Hints of an ominous winter to come.
14 Nov 05. 10am

Does it get more boring than this?

Does it get more boring than this? Event of the day, wife has made new curtains.

I can't believe it's come to this The price to pay for having far too many kids. I'm young enough to despise this, yet too old to change it.

Book Notes: The Greatest is Charity

Compared to Shaw's previous book this is light reading, yet it packs a powerful and challenging punch! This is the story of Andrew Reed, a leading non-Conformist mininster who sought to meet the spiritual and practical needs of those he served in Stepney, E. London in the 19thC. His preaching and visiting minstry helped hundreds of people put their faith in Christ, and he saw remarkable growth in his church. The Victorian city also presented Reed with actute physical suffering, and he did not think that Christian mission extended only to peoples souls but also to their bodies. He founded two orphanages to care for hundreds of lost children, pioneered the care of those with severe learning difficulties and in the last years of his life adopted the deeply unfashionable cause of paliative care, predating the modern hospice movement. In both his preaching and caring he sought 'Christlikeness', doing so with remarkable energy and generosity, and often at great personal cost. What is 'prophetic' about Reed is that he was inspired by biblical teaching regarding individual human worth, because all are equal before God and created in His image; and was therefore liberated from some of the intellectual currents of the day which insisted on the moral inedequacy of the poor, inviolable economic laws and the rigorous application of self-help. This extended to both the severely mentally handicapped and the 'incurables'; Londons 'untouchables' who Reed served.

Lookalikes

TV Star ------------------------------- Daughter


The uncanny resemblance between my daughter and a very well-known TV star has been brought to my attention. Could they by any chance be related? I think I should be told.
Grateful thanks to Dr Carlos Frankfurter of the University of Dundee for sending this.
£10 paid for winning entries (entry fee, £10).

I gain nothing

Spoke last night at church on "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." As the greatest commandment is to 'Love', doing justice to this text was always going to be impossible. Even so - I was dissapointed with how it went. Great service otherwise though!

Stormy Monday?

07.11.05 10:30am
Today feels like the first day of winter.