Rejoice Roy, Premiership Manager of the Year!

Well done Roy! You have done such a great job at Fulham, taking them to the final of the Europa Cup.  With a limited budget and some very good but not brillant players, you have performed wonders. Some would say miracles. Fulham played so well to be denied in the final moments of extra time, which was heart breaking for you.

I was touched to see you at the post match interview.  You have graced the game with your humility and heart felt love for the beautiful game. Fulham played crisp, clean football.  I sincerely hope you see some silverware soon, and I'm a Tottenham supporter who thought Harry would win the award for top manager.

Roy, you deserve to be knighted!  Arise, Sir Roy?

A game too far for brave Fulham

Roy Hodgson's boys should be proud of their fine performances in the Europa League, which sadly ended in tears tonight for the valiant team from the banks of the Thames, south west London.  London's oldest top flight club played very well and were defeated in the last moments of extra time.  Tired legs and minds fought magnificently.  The game was finally won for Athletico Madrid by Diego Forlan, a Manchester United reject who has plagued both Liverpool and now Fulham in this football competition.   Visions of Forlan removing his shirt to celebrate his killer goals will haunt English fans for years. He has been able to pop up at the crucial moment and win key games.  Forlan was not a prolific goal scorer for Manchester United, but he now enjoys hero status among Athletico's supporters; they have been so long in the shadow of the mightly Real Madrid.  Let's give Athletico credit for the success they achieved in Hamburg today. Bravo Athletico!

Theology must always precede mission, never vice versa

At the Baptist Assembly in Plymouth, earlier this month, one of the "top table" leaders said that mission precedes theology; mission is messy. We can work out our theology later!???  This seems to me to be a dangerous teaching. It may lead to serious communication problems, especially later down the line.

In the New Testament, the early church Christians preached the Gospel.  Their theology was established  by the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and then expressed as a result of the Apostles' teaching.  It is clear that this infant faith community spent time learning from the Apostles who had been given the responsibility of proclaiming the authentic message of Christ Jesus the Lord.  The Apostles had been with Jesus, lived in His presence, seen His miracles, worked with Him in mission and had been given the greatest theological education possible.

When the early Christian church moved forward in mission and saw mighty works of the Holy Spirit and many finding salvation in their Risen Lord, they were able to communicate the Gospel clearly and effectively.  Yes, it may have been messy at times.  Some of them may have been unclear about certain theological positions, but nevertheless they shared a message that was grounded in sound theology, sound teaching, sound words about the Kingdom of God and life eternal in Christ Jesus.  If they had proceeded with a faulty theology and false teaching then heresy would have happened.

When Peter called the Jewish people to repent and be baptized, his message made sense because the people understood what he was saying based on certain doctrine or sound theology.  They could respond to what was taught and explained.  It has an Old Testament theological basis with a New Testament meaning by the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter revealed truth in the Truth.

Sound theology must always precede mission.

Hung Parliament hangs in balances and is found wanting?

In the UK today we see new ground being ploughed.  We are a divided country and not of one mind and heart to face the economic hardships ahead.  People and political parties are pulling in different directions.  In Scotland there is hardly a Conservative seat in the House of Commons.  In the Home Counties there is a complete lack of confidence in New Labour.  The Liberals are only strong in various pockets, such as the West Country and the Scottish Highlands but not the Hebridean Islands.

We must pray that in the days ahead the British people will unite against dark social forces (terrorism and violence) and hostile economic times of uncertainty.  The electorate has spoken against the greedy politicians who scandalized the nation over expenses and bogus claims for second homes/mortgages etc.

We must pray for greater transparency, accountability and integrity.  By their fruits we shall know them.  Discernment by Christian leaders is now crucial.  We have to step up, raise our game and speak out against false prophets and false profits.

Prayerwalking again

It's great to be in England now that Spring is here.  Longer and warmer days are at hand.  This Saturday I'm involved with the annual prayerwalk in the Constable Country.  It is always (D.V.) on the third Saturday of May, even if there is a key football match then.  It starts at 10.30 a.m. (BST) and finishes at around 5 p.m. (17.00 hours BST).  We meet at the war memorial in Royal Square, Dedham and end by Dedham bridge, having walked to Langham, Stratford St. Mary, East Bergholt (sometimes by Flatford Mill) and then along the River Stour back to Dedham.  We generally park our cars in the large Dedham car park or the car park just by Dedham bridge.  (I used to park by the war memorial but parking restrictions and the volume of cars now make it difficult.)

This year Tic, an Old English sheepdog, may be making an appearance.  I understand that he has been recently shorn.

16/5/10 Apologies to Tic for misspelling his name in earlier versions of this post.

Come on you Spurs!

When I heard that Tottenham were two nil up at Burnley, I thought that another victory by the original and true North London team was imminent.  It was a shock for me to discover that my beloved Spurs were defeated by relegation and Championship bound Burnley. Were Spurs tired?  Was it fixed? Did complacency set in?  These questions came rapidly into my mind. Somebody no doubt made some money at the bookmakers. Did it look like a thrown game? Well, you may think that, but ....no, I don't believe it.


Harry's boys will have to play with greater consistency and remove the defensive frailties if Tottenham are to progress in the Champions League.  It's a pity that Ledley King or Ledley, King of defenders, will not be available on a much more regular basis.  He has a serious knee problem and Spurs need King Ledley to tighten the defence.

Plymouth pleasures at the Baptist Assembly 2010

I've just returned from a long weekend in Plymouth where I attended the Baptist Assembly.

I kept a journal of my experiences, took many photographs and camcorder videos, which I may upload on YouTube.  I need to check the copyright and permission issues for some of the filmed performances.

It was good to meet old friends again, like Doug and Debbie Benn, Joel Edwards, Dr and Mrs Tidball, Helen Dare (nee Reynolds), Dr Pat Took and Paul Merton (no, not the comedian!) to name just a few.  The LBC/LST Baptist fellowship meeting was memorable.

The seminars were stimulating and thought provoking.  We had some outstanding speakers who managed to connect with the audience.

We were spoilt for choice and the various locations meant that we had plenty of exercise moving from place to place, rather than sitting for hours in one place.  This helped me to discover more places in Plymouth.  I'm fitter as a result of the walking around from seminar to seminar, plus attending two college reunion meetings.


I did enjoy my time at the Assembly and visiting Plymouth City Centre, which has changed a lot since I first saw it in the 1960s.

The final service is always special.  It is a time to draw closer to the Lord in holy communion. The last message was, on reflection, disappointing as it seemed to me to be toned down prosperity preaching  (preaching about success and glory but without calling for true repentance), but I don't want to appear negative.  There were so many uplifting moments and challenging messages, evidence of great creativity and divinely inspired spiritual enterprise.  Jesus was glorified.  Praise Him.



Please watch this space for more reflections on the Baptist Assembly 2010.  You may find my YouTube channel interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Johlibaptist