Not happy to get early to IPC for the adult Sunday School on the calendar and to find no-one else was there. cancelled and I was not told. Excellent sermon on Phil 1 from Gothic. Stressed the corporate nature of the message of this epistle. Very pleased to meet a family from Jakarta, Indonesia who had sought us out because their pastor, Indonesian, had known Schaeffer. We has granddaughter Bethany to lunch. I was preaching from Gen 3 at Harmondsworth. The centre has only 400 odd detainees at present not the 1000+ of earlier days. But my numbers were still 20+. New detainees were from Nigeria as usual and Ghana. Why is Ghana the second most numerous source of detainees? Very encouraging preaching experience. I had done what I rarely do; print out my proposed sermon. I had not the time to so all of Gen 3 yet I had seven pages of text and only managed nearly three of them. Back home FaceTime with our California friends in preparation for Debbie's holiday with them from tomorrow.
Mon 23 Jul
We took Debbie to Heathrow Terminal 3 for her flight to California and a three week holiday. Then into Ealing to escort a friend to Moorfield's Eye department at Ealing Hospital. Very thankful for my fellow elders who transported us to and from the hospital. Surprised to meet a Hausa speaker fro Lokoja among the patients. Even more surprising he refuses to believe that killings are going on at the Plateau at the present time.
Tue 24 Jul
I spent the morning at Barclays then Halifax registering power of attorney for a church member. Barcla's slow due to an inexperienced clerk and a slow computer. Halifax a very efficient lady who gave me coffee too. Ealing Lunchtime Talks on Ruth 2 from our visiting mature undergraduate from Westminster Seminary. Visited pastorally. Home at 29c inside and out. Reminds me of Nigeria. I have never seen grass so brown in England. Cooked chilli con carne, rice and red cabbage for dinner.
Wed 25 Jul
At our IPC Greenford book table some weeks ago I met the pastor of this church - black charismatic if papers. The meet locally in Hanwell. I was asked to preach and for the first time in my life two unique things. I have been sent a sermon outline to use with five points and Bible references; and told I should preach 45 minutes to an hour. This is on Sunday morning coming. The English usually think anything over half an hour is long, over ten minutes in liberal churches. I was used to Lloyd-Jones 40 minutes . My regular Harmondswoth is usually under 25 minutes. Elsewhere I do not usually look at the clock but am unlikely to go beyond half an hour. I shall merely observe if I am hiding their attention. I look forward to the responses, Hallelujah, Preach it brother! etc. Will I take my Harmondsworth tambourine banned at IPC? I think so. Check in name below is wrong but the address is right AFAIK.
Prayer meeting . 16 present including 5 elders and 2 deacons drawn from 6 countries.
I have been keeping a temperature record today
7am 25/18/? inside/outside/BBC forecast
8 25/20/?
9 26/21/?
10 27/23/?
11 28/26/?
12pm30/28/?
1 31/30/?
3 35/38/29
4 31/35/30
5 31/33/30
6 31/31/30
7 31/28/29
10 30/23/25
Thur 26 Jul
Lunch with the Ruislip Littles We have never seen cafe Rouge so quiet. The heat to blame and the cause of all of us ordering salad for mains. Hottest day of the year. My observations.
Time/inside/outside/BBC forecast
6 29/18/?
7 25/20/20
8 26/22/24
9 28/26/26
10 29/28/28
11 30/27/30
12 31/32/31
3 ?/car34/33
4 32/car35/33
5 29/34/33
6 32/32/3
7 32/30/32
8 31/27/30
9 30/25/28
10 30/24//27
I am opening the bi fold doors and encouraging through draughts when the temperature is lower outside. When the sun shines on windows, blinds are put down. Fans make one feel cooler but do not alter the temperature. When in Borno, Nigeria it could be 45c+ and we had no electricity. So this is cool by comparison.
Fri 27 Jul
A pastoral visit and found this member is all of 25 days older than me! The eldest one I minister to is 19 years my senior.
Time/inside/outside/BBC forecast
3 30/19/?
4 28/19/20
5 26/18/19
6 25/18/19
7 25/21/20
8 25/22/21
9 26/24/23
10 26/26/25
11 ?/?/26
12 29/29/27
1 30/35/28
2 31/32/30
3 30/34/30
4 31/28/30 a little rain
5 30/25/28 a little rain
6 29/24/27 a little rain, thunder
7 28/21/23
8 28/17/23 1.5mm rain
9 25/17/20
10 27/16/20
I found the word I have learned but forgotten. Thank you BBC! Petrichor - the smell of the land as it receives rain after a drought. My favourite smell in Nigeria.
Missed the blood moon and lunar eclipse. Too cloudy.
Sat 28
Thanks to the rain 28c in 17 outside at 6am - much more pleasant. To the Evangelical Library, volunteer on duty with the assistant librarian. Borrowed 12 books, three by Scots I know and have heard, and another batch of books left to the library and surplus to requirements.
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