Butter on Welsh Cakes?

Etiquette query: Is it right to put butter on Welsh Cakes? I say that doing so would be as culturally appropriate as using a love spoon to stir your tea. Thoughts?

Reformed heuristics

Here is my insider guide to some of the different camps within the Reformed movement:

1. Fundy-Reformed
Big Influence: Peter Masters
Bible Version: AV
Favourite Hymn Writer: Isaac Watts
Blog: What's a blog?
Likely to Say: "Beware of those who are given to change!"

2. Trendy-Reformed
Big Influence: John Piper
Bible Version: ESV
Blog: Desiring God
Favourite Hymn Writer: Stuart Townend
Likely to Say: "Hi, I'm a Christian Hedonist. Very happy to meet you, man."

3. Bendy Reformed
Big Influence: Tom Wright
Bible Version: TNIV
Blog: N.T. Wright Project
Favourite Hymn Writer: Graham Kendrick
Likely to Say: "Are you getting in, staying in, or just stopping for tea?"

4. Barthy-Reformed
Big Influence: Karl Barth
Bible Version: Why read the Bible when you have Church Dogmatics?
Favourite Hymn Writer: Martin Rinkar/Tom Waits
Blog: Faith & Theology
Likely to Say: "Being is becoming, if you know what I mean, actually. Now pass the coffee."

5. Clappy-Reformed (Suggested by Andrew Roycroft)
Big Influence: Wayne Grudem and possibly Martyn Lloyd-Jones (well...erm bits of him, maybe). [Oi!]
Bible Version: Varies, but they particularly like revelation, oh and probably the book of Revelation too.
Favourite Hymnwriter: Stuart Townend also.
Blog: adrianwarnock.com
Likely to Say: A variety of things in a variety of tongues, as long as they have an interpreter.

6. Taffy Reformed (Suggested by Martin Downes)
Big influence: The Doctor
Bible Version: AV/NKJV
Blog: Exiled Preacher [The cheek of it!]
Favourite Hymn Writer: William Williams
Likely to Say: "Oh [said with a note of sadness] what we need is re-viv-al, not what man can do". [Amen and bendigeddig to that, boyo!]

7. Dispy-Reformed
Big Influence: John MacArthur
Bible Version: Scofield Reference Bible/John MacArthur Study Bible, ideally a combination of the two in one big bumper Dispy Bible
Blog: Pyromaniacs by MacArthur sidekick Phil Johnson
Favourite Hymn Writer: J. N. Darby
Likely to Say: "If you dis premilenialism, you're gonna have to go through the Great Tribulation. So go on, punk, make my day."

8. Westy-Reformed (Downsie with a little input from yours truly)
Big Influences: The Princetonians/The Trueman Show/Waldorf and Statler
Bible Version: ESV Study Bible
Blog: Reformation 21
Favourite Hymn Writer: Forget hymns, stick a bit of Wagner/Led Zeppelin on and turn up the volume.
Likely to Say: "As for me, I'm simply going to continue sitting in that metaphorical dingy motel room, a cigarette hanging from the corner of my mouth, a glass of bourbon on the bedside table, bashing out copy on my typewriter."

9. Confessy-Reformed (Pure Downsie, well almost)
Big Influences: The Reformed Confessions
Bible Version: Reformation Study Bible
Blog: The Heidelblog
Favourite Hymn Writer: The Holy Spirit/King David
Likely to Say: "You don't get to define Reformed, the Reformed Confessions get to define Reformed. Got it?!" or "Stop calling yourself 'young, restless and reformed' you are 'young, restless and predestinarian'."

Into which category do I fit? None of them really. I don't like being pigeon holed. Like to suggest a grouping all of your own? No sloppy definitions please. Note the strict heuristic rules: All submissions should rhyme with either "Fundy" or "Trendy", or at the very least must end in "y". Got it? Oh, by the way, if I like your suggestion I'll add it to the list.

Izzy, wizzy let's get busy

One of my favourite childhood TV characters was Sooty. He would wave his magic wand, utter the words, "Izzy, wizzy, let's get busy!" and make all kinds of amazing stuff happen. Well it's going to get pretty busy round here this week. We have a Holiday Bible Club on Monday to Thursday mornings at Penknap Chapel. A good number turned up this morning, and they all seemed to have enjoyed themselves, which was great.

Easter weekend is looming. We have visiting speakers for Good Friday, but I'm preaching twice on Sunday. Sermon prep will have to be squeezed into the afternoons. That's a bit unusual for me, as I usually do my prep in the mornings.

The other day I finished John Webster's Holy Scripture, A Dogmatic Sketch. But I won't have time to review it for a little while. I know you'll be disappointed about that and I'm very sorry, but there we are. I don't have a magic wand and saying "Izzy, wizzy, let's get busy!" doesn't make stuff happen without one, at least for me.

Happy New Year!

On Saturday travelled down to Exeter, Devon together with a minibus full of our people to witness the induction of Jonathan Munday to the pastorate of Exeter Independent Evangelical Church. It is a relatively new work and Jonathan is their very first minister. It was an encouraging service, with contributions from Brian Higham (under whose preahcing Jonathan was converted) reading the Scriptures and praying and Dewi Higham preaching. He spoke from Matthew 6:33, urging us all to put God first in all things. Jonathan, who was the pastor of Maryport Street Baptist Church, Devizes spoke movingly of how he felt the Lord calling him to the Exeter. While Jonathan was seeking a new pastorate, the Mundays worshipped with us at Ebenezer Baptist Church, West Lavington. It was good to have them in the congregation for almost a year. We miss them, but it was nice to see them settled in their new situation. (The Munday family are pictured above).

We had a good family Christmas and saw in the new year in Wales, where we stayed a few days with my mum. Probably the most popular Christmas present was a Wii fit board. It is really cool and fun, although it does tend to nag on a bit about loosing weight and going to bed early. I've become something of an expert at slalom skiing, which is saying something, as I've never done any real skiing.

We had some visitors in the congregation over Christmas, which was encouraging. Yesterday I preached on 2 Thessalonians 3:1 for Penknap Providence Church's "motto" text for the year. This text will be printed on each monthly prayer diary. How we need God's help as we seek to make the gospel known in the next year!

I've had a bit of a break from reading over the Christmas period, but it was good to get back into things this morning, taking up Paul the Missionary, by Eckhard J. Schnabel, IVP/Apollos, 2008. I'm 143 pages in to this 518 page book and the review deadline is looming.

Love/Hate

Here's 5 things I love and 5 things I hate:

Love

1. Company
2. Reading
3. Solitude
4. Music
5. Cycling

Hate

1. Lateness
2. Gardening
3. 4 x 4's
4. Custard
5. Car cleaning

What do you love/hate?