Still really excited

Today Pads' cold bloomed but he's still really excited about getting through the final injection of his chemotherapy tomorrow.

Tomorrow it's my turn to speak at the third meeting of our Friday Fellowship, for the young folk of the church. We're following Jill Masters' series, 'Why Believe in God?' My topic is: 'because how else can I explain the birth, miracles and resurrection of Christ? While preparing, I came across this (old) news about Anthony Flew explaining his turn to deism.



I concluded a while ago that there are at least three types of believing. The first, based on evidence and observation is not really belief. For example, I believe that the chair I'm sitting on will hold firm, this is more a working out of probablilities. Then there's believing things because they're obvious, like natural selection in biology and that the world shows clear evidence of intelligent design. This is the kind of thing so obvious that children have to unlearn it, the sort of believing that devils do, but at least they also 'tremble'!. But that is still quite different from the believing that is 'saving faith'. This latter quality of faith is essential. It is essentially spiritual, the casting of body and soul on the Lord Jesus Christ as your only hope for salvation. Comparing 'saving faith' with 'believing' is a bit like comparing 'holy matrimony' with what the world understands as 'marriage' (i.e., I like you enough to give living with you for a while a go and I'm prepared to enter some kind of contract to say so).
It is 'saving faith' that...

in darkest days shines with brightest glow. In the wild storm it looks to God and sings. No weapon can succeed against it. God, even God Himself, surrounds His children as a shield. The shaft of which touches them must pierce through God. Welcome, too, reproach and obloquy and scorn. No disgrace can soil their name. They are renowned among the sons of men. Their glory is their God. No billows can submerge them. God, even their own God, lifts up their heads. From deepest waters Jesus rose to God's right hand. Where the Head is, there too shall the members be.
(Henry Law, p13)

You need saving faith.

post chemo and opening service

Pads is weak and tired after returning home... saying that, I spent the night with him on the ward and dont feel a lot better myself... some kind of cold doing the rounds...
Someone suggested tranquillising him in order to help get the tube down and this worked well. He had a temazepam so that he was still fairly high when I took over from Al in the evening.
In the event, nothing like 10000 people came to the opening service, probably more like 350! But it was wonderful to see the place so full and the singing was lovely, it rose and fell like the sea in waves of sound, very beautiful! This was no doubt helped by so many people coming from various churches, far and wide. Mr Higham's preaching was like a laser for clarity and force. He was very animated, amazing to consider how weak he had been just a month ago. He spoke from Romans 1:17

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

He spoke about the burning righteousness of God, the 'gaze of God' on your soul when we face Him and the complete disaster that will be unless we are cleansed by the blood of Christ and covered with His righteousness, in every way equal to God's own. All this, 'by faith', not of works or reputation or any other thing. The sermon is available from the website at http://www.tabernaclecardiff.org/result/sermonresult/1111.jsp?n=95

New Year, New Building

It's been coming for a little while but we were being careful saying anything much about it until completion. Thankfully that happened yesterday. The sanctuary is a lovely variety of ornate simplicity. An example is to be seen here in this clip where you can see a carving of Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" - a precious reminder, to those who deign to mount the steps, of where the preacher's authority resides. It is deviating from this that has devastated our nation, morally and spiritually, with the predictably deplorable consequences for every aspect of life. It's long past time we turned back the God who made us and still is graciously calling people to himself. Our first Sunday there will be the 18th January, 10:30 am, God willing. After visiting the buildings last night, it was wonderful to have so many members back to our house for a time of prayer, hymn singing and fellowship. It is hard to over-state the significance of acquiring this building, or the amazing providence that led us to this point. It is a huge undertaking but, by God's grace, 'Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power' Psalm 110:3

1st infusion (continued)

Pads is reacting fairly normally to the infusion of cisplatin. It's hanging up covered by a red bag to protect it from being degraded by light. Next to it is the fluids drip, going in at a rate of knots to ensure his kidneys are getting a good flushing. He's tired and started feeling ill in the early afternoon although that has been eased a little with the anti-sickness drug. He should be out tomorrow morning.
Rhys took his chemo yesterday too and that went fine, except he's feeling tired today too. Not too tired to miss Jonathan Munday's induction as pastor of Exeter Independent Evangelical Church. I drove some of us from Tabernacle down in the minibus and by the 3pm start there was standing room only. It was an excellent service with our Pastor, a close friend of Mr Munday's, taking the sermon on 'seek ye first the kingdom of heaven' where he challenged us all to ensure our priorities were 'God first, else second'.
Others travelling today included the McFarlanes returning to Scotland (with Moli who had another week's school holiday to 'kill'). So just me and the wee boys at home tonight - quiet...