Heavenly Worldliness

Midweek Meeting August 26 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 22:23:44 +0000

A bit different this week as I was at a prayer meeting of Kogarah Bay Bible Church, Sydney, led by one of their deacons, Isaac Yakoubi. About 20 gathered. We sang a hymn, read Scripture and then worked our way through a printed prayer list section by section. It was a joy to be there.

Kate Rusby Live - Botany Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:49:45 +0000

Guess where I hope to be today

Ibis

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:31:08 +0000

If you gaze long into an ibis, the ibis also gazes into you

(based on Nietszche)

Rainbow Lorekeet

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:53:31 +0000

I look through the window this morning and the first thing I see is a rainbow lorekeet. The parakeet of suburban Sydney it appears.

My own pic

ⱯIꓶⱯꓤꓕSꓵⱯ WOꓤℲ SꓨNIꓕƎƎꓤꓨ

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

˙pǝʇsod noʎ dǝǝʞ oʇ ƃuᴉdoH ˙ǝuɹnoqlǝW uᴉ ʞǝǝʍ ǝuo ɹoɟ puɐ ʎǝupʎS uᴉ ʎluᴉɐɯ ǝq llᴉʍ ǝM ˙ƃuᴉɹǝʇsᴉuᴉɯ ʎlɟǝᴉɥɔ sʞǝǝʍ ʍǝɟ ɐ ɹoɟ ǝɹǝɥ ƃuᴉǝq oʇ pɹɐʍɹoɟ ƃuᴉʞool ǝɹɐ ǝʍ puɐ ǝuᴉɟ llɐ ǝɹǝʍ (ǝɹodɐƃuᴉS ɐᴉʌ) sʇɥƃᴉlℲ ˙ɐᴉlɐɹʇsn∀ uᴉ pǝʌᴉɹɹɐ ʍou ǝʌɐɥ ǝʍ ǝǝs uɐɔ noʎ s∀

On our way to Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 01:39:04 +0000

We left London Monday morning and are getting ever closer to our final destination. Bumped into a ministerial friend (Mark Mullins) on the way to Singapore. Small world.

Trip to Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:27:43 +0000

I am planning to be in Australia soon. In Sydney, I will be speaking at a conference in St John's Park Baptist Church on the priesthood of all believers. We will also visit Melbourne.

10 paintings of potato pickers

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:07:38 +0000

This was prompted by a question on a recent University Challenge.

David Thomas Robertson (https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/The-Potato-Pickers/F480408DC5A285BB45E8383422599F96)

Ralph Hedley (https://shop.artuk.org/potato-gatherers-northumberland-36012.html)

Maurice de Vlaminck
(https://www.wikiart.org/en/maurice-de-vlaminck/potatoe-pickers-1907)

Jules Bastien-Lepage, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Evelyn Mary Dunbar Potato SOrting, Berwick
(https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/potato-sorting-berwick-204892)

The King Everywhere, Robert Müller, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

Ernest Higgins Rigg
(https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-potato-pickers-23550)

Vincent van Gogh, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

Jean-François Millet, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

László Pataky, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

Lord's Day August 23 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 07:33:52 +0000

I need to stop saying "my last Sunday in Childs Hill". Anyway on one of my last Sundays yesterday I thought I'd round off with a look at Ecclesiastes 3:1 in the morning and then went to Isaiah 35:3, 4 in the evening. Decent number in the morning, even though some are away. Into double figures in the evening, which is good these days. A lady who has been before came with her visiting sister wuite late on but I hope they got something.

Thames Path South 17 - More Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:46:00 +0000

Canary Wharf form the Southbank

Nelson Dock

Animal Procession (Surrey Docks Farm)

Greenland Pier

Thames Path South 17 (Surrey Water Quay - Greenland Pier)

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 20:35:00 +0000

Obelisk Near Pageant Stairs

Globe Wharf

Free Trade Wharf from the Southbank

Surrey Basin Bascule Bridge

Did another section recently. Went to Bermondsey once again and had a coffee in J'Amocha then got a bus back to where I left off last time. One or two dead ends in this walk so only one section covered.

Trace on OGWT 1975

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 18:13:08 +0000

10 Part Scale of Ex-Christianity according to Andrew Wilson

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:38:58 +0000

James Boswell, professing to be a Christian and realising that it is now an option rather than a requisite
Immanuael Kant and others who want relgion within the bounds of reason
Rousseau and other advocates of civil religion
Benjamin Franklin, David Hume and other irenic Deists
Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and others who oscillate between being irenic and polemic
Voltaire and other polemic Deists
Franz Anton Mesmer and others who pursued their own paths
Diderot, d'Holbach and other combative atheists
The cult of reason followers who led the French Revolution
The Marquis de Sade and other God haters

See page 143 of Remaking the world

Death of Andrew Davies

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:45:15 +0000

We note with sadness the passing of a stalwart of the faith in Andrew Davies. When I went to London Theological Seminary in the early eighties, he was one of four Welshmen who did the bulk of the teaching. (The others were Graham Harrison, Philip Eveson and Hywel Jones). Mr Davies took us for church history (except that for one term he was off with a back problem) and it was often noted that his lectures became more like preaching than lecturing. I remember him telling us at some point that when we preach we are to strike when the iron is hot not to make it hot, an idea that he said is in Christmas Evans. I also remember him asking the class what is the purpose of preaching. Any number of answers were given but none that would satisfy him. Eventually, and I will never forget it, he said in a way that only Andrew Davies could, that the purpose of preaching is to move, to move the people. I may have resisted the idea at the time, even though I had already learned it from my pastor, Derek Garwood. Over the years I have come to believe it more and more strongly. Andrew Davies himself was always moved when he preached and he often moved the congregation too. What a loss. We pray for the family that remain.

I hear the funeral will be on September 14. So sorry I'll be out of the country.

Midweek Meeting August 19 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:58:20 +0000

For my last midweek meeting there were six of us in the room and two or three online. We looked at Psalm 79, another neglected psalm, and then prayed.

Thames Path South 15, 16 - More Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:17:30 +0000

Sunshine Weekly and the Pilgrims Pocket

Mayflower Pub

Rotherhithe Research Picture Library
Sands Films

St Mary the Virgin Rear

Old Free School, Rotherhithe

The Angel Public House

"Leaning Tower of Rotherhithe"

Christopher Jones Memorial

Rotherhithe Watch House

Thames Path South 15, 16 (Cherry Gardens Pier - Rotherhithe Tunnel)

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:58:22 +0000

Dr Salter's Dream, Bermondsey Wall E

Another two sections covered this week. I went back to Bermondsey and then walked down to the path, which is fairly clearly marked at this point Managed a comfort at St Mary the Virgin. Got a bus back to Bermondsey then.

Hays Court

Brunel Museum

Rotherhithe Tunel Ventilation Shaft South

Trying to sort after 40 years

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:03:34 +0000

With my ministry at Childs Hill now coming to an end I am trying to sort. The pile above consists of notes taken over many years when doing door to door in the area.

When you share your home with a Welsh speaker 2

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:44:24 +0000

Lord's Day August 16 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:49:53 +0000

Numbers were not great yesterday even in the morning. New people around, though - a new Iranian, Ali, who is seeking the truth. At the end of the service a Nigerian arrived. He'd been invited by someone not there. Perhaps he'll come again. Even when the service was completely over another Iranian arrived and prayed. Sadly, our aylum seekers did nt return. Other Iranians were there. One told me I'd be missed because I am charismatic! He clarified that he meant having an ability to easily attract, please and inspire others, not amything theological. I preached on the famous and spectacular Ezekiel 37:1-14 and the forgotten and ordinary Ezekiel 37:15-28. We took communion together in the evening.

Thames Path South 14 - More Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:07:00 +0000

City of London from the Southbank

Cherry Gardens Pier, Bermondsey

Thames Path South 14 (Tower Bridge - Cherry Gardens Pier)

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 18:58:00 +0000

Near St Saviour's Dock/New Concordia Wharf

St Saviour's Dock

Shad riverside promenade

Shad Thames, Bermondsey

Tower Bridge from the Southbank

Tower from the Southbank

Did another bit of the walk recently, just one section this time. Had a coffee in Starbucks near London Bridge then walked to Tower Bridge and enjoyed a pleasant walk as far as Cherry Gardens Pier. I then walked to Bermondsey tube station and headed home.

My first upcoming date in Sydney, Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:35:36 +0000

Illegalities When Jesus Was On Trial

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:58:15 +0000

Procedural Violations

Night time Trial: Capital cases could only be tried during daylight hours. Jesus' first two trial phases occurred in the dead of night.
Festival Eve Execution: Capital trials could not be held on the eve of a Sabbath or a major festival like Passover. The trial took place immediately before Passover.
Verdict Timing: A verdict of "guilty" in a capital case could not be reached on the same day as the trial. It required a 24-hour delay of fasting and deliberation to protect the accused. Jesus was condemned within hours.
Private Location: Capital trials had to take place in the official court venue. Jesus was tried in the private palaces of Annas and Caiaphas.

Evidentiary Violations

No Defence Provided: Jewish law required the court to actively search for arguments to acquit the accused before seeking a conviction. No defense was permitted or sought for Jesus.
Contradictory Witnesses: Capital conviction required the testimony of at least two independent eyewitnesses whose stories matched perfectly. The Sanhedrin's witnesses openly contradicted one another, which legally required the case to be dismissed.
Self-Incrimination: A defendant could not be convicted solely on their own testimony under Jewish law. The High Priest bypassed the failed witness testimonies and condemned Jesus based entirely on Jesus' own response regarding His identity.

Judicial Misconduct

Bribery: The judges paid Judas Iscariot thirty pieces of silver to secure the arrest of the accused, rendering the judges legally disqualified due to personal bias.
Unanimous Verdict Rule: In a strange twist of Jewish law, if a capital verdict of "guilty" was completely unanimous among the 71 judges, the defendant was to be acquitted. This rule existed because a unanimous guilty vote was seen as a sign of a conspiracy lacking a fair judicial defense. The Sanhedrin voted unanimously to condemn Him.

While Roman law gave provincial governors like Pontius Pilate near-absolute authority (imperium), Pilate's handling of Jesus' trial directly violated core principles of Roman jurisprudence, Roman administrative duty, and the Lex Julia (laws governing treason and judicial corruption).

Procedural and Administrative Violations

Reversing an Absolute Acquittal: Under Roman law, once a magistrate declared a formal verdict of acquittal (Absolutio), the case was closed. Pilate publicly pronounced Jesus innocent three separate times ("I find no basis for a charge against this man"), but illegally allowed the trial to continue under mob pressure.
Double Jeopardy (Scourging after Acquittal): Roman law forbade punishing a citizen or subject who had been found not guilty. Pilate ordered Jesus to be brutally scourged (flagellatio) as a compromise to appease the crowd, despite having already declared Him innocent.
Abuse of Judicial Discretion: A Roman governor was legally bound to maintain pax Romana (Roman peace) through impartial justice. By capitulating to a mob threat ("If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar"), Pilate surrendered his judicial independence to public coercion, a severe breach of a governor's mandate.

Violations of Due Process

Lack of Substantiated Charges: Roman jurisprudence required a formal, specific accusation (inscriptio) backed by evidence. The Jewish leadership shifted their charges from religious blasphemy to political treason ("He subverts our nation ... claims to be a king"). Pilate explicitly noted that no evidence supported this capital charge, yet he issued a death sentence anyway.
Failure to Act on Personal Jurisdiction: When Pilate discovered Jesus was from Galilee, he correctly recognised that the case fell under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (forum originis). When Herod sent Jesus back without a conviction, Pilate was legally required to dismiss the charges based on Herod's finding, but failed to do so.
Statutory Misconduct Judicial Corruption (Lex Julia de Residuis/Repetundarum): Roman statutes strictly prohibited judges from sentencing a man to death out of fear, bribery, or political self-preservation. Pilate's compliance with the crowd to protect his own political standing with Emperor Tiberius violated the integrity required of a Roman magistrate.
Coerced Capital Sentence: Condemning a prisoner to crucifixion - he most severe Roman penalty (summum supplicium) - strictly required a proven crime against the Roman Empire, such as active armed rebellion. Pilate explicitly stated Jesus was not a political threat ("My kingdom is not of this world"), making the execution order legally baseless under Roman statutory definitions of treason (maiestas).

New Pastor in Childs Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Brady) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:37:59 +0000

I am very pleased to say that the church here in Childs Hill, Childs Hill Baptist Church, has recently called a new pastor. His name is Chungman Shon. A Londoner, he was born in South Korea. It is not yet clear when he will start. He is getting married at the end of this month. I have been here about 43 years.