les Davey de France

for the funeral this afternoon: I have my notes ready. Mainly readings. My shirt and trousers are ironed. My shoes are OK. All is fine. All I need to do is pray and go. The funeral will take place entirely in the cemetery. This is quite usual for protestant funerals, maybe for catholic ones, too. I don't know. The Frenchman looketh not on the outward appearance - what I mean is that at the last (and first) committal to which I went the pastor officiating was wearing a very dodgy overcoat and didn't look at all ministerial. I shall have on my profoundly ministerial black overcoat, so I don't think anyone will mistake me for anything else... But it's good to know that even for pastors, dress is informal. The goal for me is to be as invisible as possible. You want people to see Jesus Christ as great and good and mighty and powerful and kind, and the pastor as... oh, yes, there was someone wasn't there..

All the Daveys have colds. Patricia is struggling. Catrin Zeta is coughing. Gwilym Terfel is sneezing. I am still in denial...

One of the students has a Blackberry mobile phone. Yes ! A Blackberry ! They've produced a low-cost student model. Would you believe it ! The other day Patricia and I were a little early for something or other and we had a few minutes to kill wandering round Pessac town centre. Since Pessac Town centre yields up all its treasures in about 40 seconds we found ourselves first in the épicerie japonaise where we bought some cans of drink - I had an amazingly ghastly can of young coconut milk, which was absolutely disgusting. We then wendered into the new cave - very posh - which has a huge selection of whiskies. Would you believe it ? The French love Scotch ! I was pleased to recognise one that came from Bladnoch where we once tried to camp. The distillery is now a tourist centre and has a campsite behind it - really a tarmac carpark. It was the only camp site that Patricia absolutely refused to stay at. The boarding kennel was OK and the burnt-out chocken farm passed muster but Bl...

R ich Lizard was in the toilet !

our evangelical culture rather than from our Bibles ? Infarso do we by our traditions make the word of God of no effect ? Here's an interesting reflection from Ahl Mohler.

La chute de Satan et le triomphe de Christ Pourquoi Dieu permet-il au diable d'agir encore ? John Piper tourne son regard vers l'entrée du mal dans ce monde et il constate que la rébellion d'une partie des saints anges de Dieu fait partie de ces péchés les plus terribles jamais commis. La Bible ne nous explique pas comment ou pourquoi cette rébellion a eu lieu, mais elle ne dit pas que Dieu a été surpris ou qu'il a dû revoir ses plans. A la fin du récit de la création Dieu dit que tout est bon. Dieu n'a rien créé de mauvais. Mais au commencement de Genèse 3  on se trouve face à un serpent sournois, trompeur et destructeur. En Jean 8:44 Jésus dit du serpent  qu'il est menteur et meurtrier. Mais c'est qui ? Apocalypse 12 parle de ce serpent 'appelé le diable et Satan, celui qui égare toute la terre.' "Le mauvais", "le prince de ce monde", "Bélzébul, le prince des démons", "le prince de la puissance de l'air...

This chap was introduced to us by someone who comes to the English service. It's a chap who lived in Pessac with his mother and their background is protestant though neither has attended church for years. She was 91 and I am told that she was quite a lady in her day - a friend of Jacques Ellul, she rescued Jews during the occupation. Well at a time like this he needs a pastor, and I am the one he knows. So it's a privilege to be involved in helping this guy by sorting out funeral arrangements, by officiating and by announcing the hope of the gospel at a time of great sadness.