Sunday was a bad day. On Saturday night, I struggled with a runny nose and fever and got up feeling pretty rough. I preached on “God’s Wisdom”, and went to bed after lunch. We were all in bed by 8:30pm, and I struggled again with fever most of the night. At 1 am, I was watching CSI:Manhattan, I couldn’t sleep. But the rest of the night was quieter, and I woke up with less fever, but feeling tired and rough. I am taking it easy this morning, and I am planning to go to the cinema with the boys in the afternoon.
Month: February 2013
Eglise Evangéliques Rennes Sud (France Mission)
Last Saturday, I had the privilege to visit the new building of the Eglise Evangélique Rennes Sud. They have just moved in. It is modern and light.
6 Ways You Can Support Missionaries – The Gospel Coalition Blog
Are you or your church supporting missionaries? 6 Ways You Can Support Missionaries – The Gospel Coalition Blog.
Thomas Watson on the Horsegate scandal
See the difference between God and a great part of the world. (…) Men are unjust in their dealings. This is, [I] In using false weights. ‘The balances of deceit are in his hand.’ Hos 12: 7. It is sad to have the Bible in one hand, and false weights in the other. Or, [2] In adulterating commodities. ‘Thy wine is mixed with water,’ Isa 1: 22: when bad grain is mixed with good, and sold for pure grain. I can never believe he is good in the first table who is not good in the second. He cannot be godly who is not just. Though God does not bid you be as omnipotent as he is, yet he bids you be as just.
Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity
No school today
Primary school teachers are on strike today. The government wants to reform education. To begin with, they want primary schools to teach 4.5 days instead of 4, and children to finish their days earlier. Teachers agree that a reform is needed. They are ready to work 4.5 days. But they feel the government is not giving them the means to make those changes.
“Renée of France”, Simonetta Carr (Bitesize Biographies, EP)
[amazon_link id=”0852349092″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]
[/amazon_link]As a Frenchman, this book caught my attention. I had never heard of Renée de France before. Who was she? I though that if EP was publishing a short biography about her, there was a good reason for that.
This is the fascinating story of a little known figure of the Reformation. Renée could have been Queen of France if the laws of the time had permitted a woman to access the throne. Instead, she married the Duke of Ferrara. Reformation ideas were making good progress in Italy at the time. Renée surrounded herself with French people, and protected many protestants refugees. She corresponded with Calvin and several other reformers.
She had to face many challenges, and her struggles have much to teach us today. I was grateful for this little book. I was sent a review copy and wasn’t required to write a positive review. It won’t take you long to read, and you will discover a real women, with fears and doubts, facing severe opposition. Many of the questions she faced are still around today, and I especially enjoyed the chapter summarising her correspondance with Calvin and what it teaches us.