The changing world (9) 1968 first quarter - All Nations

From now one this account is much more comprehensive for Katy's Christmas gift to me in 1967 was a five year daily and from now on I have a daily account to follow as well as my ordinary appointments diaries - day except for periods when I was down. and not so communicative. . That this was a symptom of bipolar was not diagnosed for 45 years.
   I started January at Skipton Bridge with Katy failing my driving test in Northallerton. I was later to fail in Ealing before passing. The only exam I need to pass and failed - twice. Fellow student, Dick Bulmer from Sunderland had a minivan and gave me lifts to and from college. He quipped then he was the only one who could call be a southerner and the best thing about Yorkshire ward dual carriageway all the way through.
  To my surprise the North Riding continued to give me a full grant even though I had had one for three years before at university. I also received a book grant from a local charity via a farmer in our village.
I attended the North Yorkshire Bible Reading in Northallerton with Howel Jones preaching. It was  organised by John Legg, a very gifted expositor and pastor of Northallerton Evangelical which met at that time in the Legg's home. John had been Congregational minister at Reeth in Swaledale but the Congregational Union went on to become the Congregational Church. This was not merely a contradiction terms of ecclesiology. They adopted a Barthian basis if faith saying the Bible contains the word of God. John,believing the Bible is the word of God left, moved to the county town and took up school teaching. He was a rarity in England, a real reformed paedobaptist.
   I studied a lot of Greek in the vacation. I was to receive the college prize and eventually forget nearly all of it. Back o ANMC my room was now in the old stables sharing with Peter Harrison, later a missionary to Austria. The first Sunday I heard Trevor Routley, another student, at the localStanstead Abbots Countess of Huntingdon CongregationalChurch. Trevor is now a missionary in Argentina.
   ANMC day started formal with assembly in college chapel. The staff processed in. Our pianist played them in. John Tuttlebee, later missionary to Ireland, had a good sense of humour. One day he played them in to. 'O I do like to be beside the seaside'. He was disciplined. ANMC was practical with all of us given chores. Tom Paget the maintenance man had me sorting plant pots with Gerald Mann, ex Church Army and future SUM Nigeria worker. Gerald had a great gift for personal evangelism. I was never comfortable door to door. Gerald was a duck to water. He could chat and pray with everyone. Second Sunday preached from 1Timothy in the village. Though depressed it went well.
   David Morris advised Katy to do a year at Mount Hermon Ladies Missionary College in Ealing, known at ANMC as the hefelump house. But that advice was to affect our lives for most of our years ahead. That is why I am writing now from Ealing.
   One relaxation at ANMC was on a quarter size snooker table. I often played against our Ethiopian student Habtom Asgodom. He taught me my one word of Amharic, gosh asha, rubbish, shouted by him when he missed or I flaked a pot. In Patters bar I asked Mr Overend for Katy's hand.
   Katy and I conversed a lot by phone. She was disgusted when I once ended the call due to involvement in a pillow fight. I see my previous visit to White hart lane was wrongly place in an earlier year. It was now I went with Katy, Dick and Paul Clough. Paul, known as Fudge was a bolshy Yorkshireman. He was on the college football team playing Spurgeons. An away game. Te baptists showed the ANMC lads round the college pointing out Sprurgeon's Bible and various Spurgeonic artifacts. Paul asked them where they kept his doctrine. But at the big match previously described it was Spars 1 Man U 2.
   My diary in those days sounds very spiritual recording the ups and downs of my daily walk with the Lord. My parents advised waiting concerning engagement so we had been keeping it secret for several months.
   I discussed my continuing the Dip.Th. course with Ron Davis. He advised me to press on. Having read Van Til I knew I did not share the presuppositions of the examiners. Mine were that God is. He has revealed himself in Jesus and the Bible is a trustworthy record of that revelation. I studied from belief. The examiners questioned from unbelief. I was later in the year to drop the course.
   I shopped at the Banner in Chiltern Street. They sold damaged books at reduced prices and would damage them to order I think. Bought the SCM Battles edition of the Institutes there. So much better in modern translation.
   I started booking locus work. First at £40 a week in Wood Green. Visited the local RC seminary and found them liberal. Stayed with relatives in Newport in Easter vacation and watched them at rugby. John Sullivan joined me going to Stan Steadman's wedding to Irene at the Apostolic Church, Pontardawe. From Newport another rail journey to Thirsk.