Being A Christian Student/Young Worker, Part 2: Demands of the church - Demands of the individual

Following up on the previous post, this is an article written thirty years ago by a minister I had the priviledge of hearing this past week, Geoff Thomas of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberystwyth. What he writes should, I think, be a challenge to all of us who worship at Carrubbers - both students and non students. Again, it raises issues of church and CU involvement which I feel are very relevant to our current time and place, and which I'll be posting on soon. Moreover, it has challenged me and perhaps will challenge you. One question, certainly, resounds in my mind - are we praying for our church?

Being A Christian Student/Young Worker, Part 1: Preparation

It's never too late to learn! And it's never too late to start firing up things on the blog again, IMHO at least. This is an article I've recently read on making ourselves 'spiritually prepared' for university, although I'm sure it can be applied to all our immediate situations. Do you think the author is right in what he says? What about the stuff he says regarding the Church and CUs? Or regarding socialising and choosing friends? All I'll say is that I wish I'd read this before my first year at uni.

There will be at least a couple of follow-up posts on topics raised in this article shortly.

Learn something useful at Napier? (shurely shome mishtake)

Yes folks it's true. For the next two months at least, this leading Napier alumni can confirm that you will be able to learn something useful down at Napier's Merchiston Campus. For from October 14 to December 14, there's going to be an exhibition called 'Bound For Glory', and the blurb states 'The exhibition will celebrate the printing, publication and distribution of the Bible in Scotland in recognition of the significant role that the it played in the development of the country’s printing and publishing industries'. I think the next bit was written solely for our own chief of staff, Mikey Luehrmann: 'One of the exhibits on display will be the Bassandyne Bible, the first to be produced in Scotland'.

So get yourselves down there. If you want more blurb, or are just really interested in the printing industry, it's all here: http://www.500yearsofprinting.org/activities.php

And I can speak from personal experience and say that the typo in the date for this year's event should not come as a surprise for something related to the aforementioned industry.

Meet the ‘Team’ at the ‘Core’ of INDEX, Part 2: Anna

Name: Anna Joy Lambert
Aka: Banana, AJ, Anna Spanner, Banane, The Nature Laydee

Born: April 5th 1985 in London

Favourite Scripture: Galatians 2:20; My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Favourite Places: Edinburgh is where I love to live my normal life, Paris is where I enjoy family holidays, and Camp Wonderland, Massachusetts is my happy summer place.

Favorite books: Appart from the Bible and Shakespeare, Blue Like Jazz (Don Miller), Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers), Disciplines of a godly woman (Barbara Hughes) News of a kidnapping (Gabrièl Garcia Màrquez), and Lonely Planet guides.

Things I like: Chocolate, photography, music, brushing my teeth, dreaming, laughing, chilling with friends, children, writing, travelling, meeting new people, my bed.

Pet hates: The smell of wet dog, a messy kitchen, exams and getting up early (my definition of early.)

Favorite films: Amelie, Finding Neverland, Stage Beauty, Mean Girls, Raising Helen, Walk The Line, A Beautiful Mind, Miss Congeniality, L'Auberge Espagnole.

Interesting facts:
~ I moved to France when I was 5 and lived there for 13 years.
~ I once saw Ludacris in Paris.
~ I'm the only lefty in my whole extended family.

Here come the hotsteppers

Meet the ‘Team’ at the ‘Core’ of INDEX, Part 1: DCW

OK folks, it’s that time again. What time? INDEX time. More specifically, blog time. More specifically still, INDEX blog time. Note the capitals in INDEX - this is important. Lying somewhere between Occam’s Razor and Crabtree’s Bludgeon (look it up ignorami - ignorami being plural for ignoramuses, cf hippopotami being plural for hippopotamuses), this is your plenty of nonsense, utterly dispensable guide to all things INDEX. But who be we harbingers o’lore, piffle-paffle and Church-sanctioned general risk-assessed youth-focused activities?

I be David C Warden, known to my friends as plain old, down-to-earth David Warden. You can keep the C however until at least casual acquaintance stage. Part of the ‘core’ ‘team’ at INDEX for the past two years now (this be my third), my role, more specifically, is to host a lovely little prayer meeting ere a Sunday morn service, and to communicate in the language o’ yore at every opportunity (hence all this nonsense). Before I continue, it is a truth universally acknowledged that 96% of folks reading my blog spraff (that’s everyone except my mother and, occasionally, sweet lady wife) move on to less wordy spraff somewhere else on the superhighway d’informatique by the end of the second paragraph, so to those of you leaving us now I bid a less than fond adieu.

Hi there mum, and Claire too, if you’re still reading. How are things? Don’t mention it, anytime – it was my pleasure. Yes I am a nice boy, I know. Anyway, as you can gather I ridiculously have an ‘other half’, or 'significant other' if you will, she being called Claire. She’s far friendlier and more amiable than me, which comes in really handy at social gatherings and when you have people round at your house who you don’t dislike, but at the same time don’t really have a ‘connection’ with, as it means I can look at my hands or fumble with the coasters or something and not be too disconcerting for the guests in question. It also means that when INDEX looks at the old ‘relationships’ chestnut the the spring, I’ll be able to bask in the comforting glow that can only come from knowing everything there is to know about the subject at hand. Great stuff.

Otherwise, I work for a publishing company as an editor, which always provokes the immediate, yet paradoxically final question from people, ‘What do you edit?’ You needn't have asked. The answer’s diaries and other business-related, time plan products, btw. I live in Leith and you are all lukewarmly invited to come and visit us (best to make sure Claire will be in first, though, or it could be a little awkward). Seriously it will be awkward so do make sure you ask.

Anyway, my name’s David, I’m 25, I am a Christian who believes everything in the Bible is true/infallible etc and then tries to work it all out from that basis but isn’t too worried if he can’t. I enjoy music (Pink Floyd, Yes, King Crimson, Hair metal, 80s sell-out supergroups etc); films (all sorts, Terrence Malick if I’m out to impress, pretentious Barry Levinson Robin Williams vehicle ‘Toys’ if I’m out to bemuse, anything with Cary Grant in it if I’m out for a laugh); television (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace - I better mention it since I've 'borrowed' from it royally in this post - anything by Chris Morris) and reading books and pointless stuff on the internet. The best sermon I’ve ever heard was delivered in a church in Derbyshire when I was about 15, but I believe the man responsible went a bit crazy and got booted out from his church (for being a bit crazy) so I’ve tried not to get too obsessive about preachers. I do like guys who tell it straight though, and don’t leave out the sometimes gory details.

Anyway (again), that's me. Feel free to sift through some of the wreckage that is the old blog archives (it's not really wreckage but you can't say 'sift through' without adding the word 'wreckage' now can you?), cos there be plenty of other wordy piffle by me to have a gander at. Bye!

Elijah's first trip to a used bookshop

Looks like he found one his size:)

Welcome...

Well, the little Luehrmann has finally arrived. The Lord is abundantly good! Mom and baby are both doing well, and for all you who are wondering (all 2 of you) here are the details:

Name: Elijah M'Cheyne Luehrmann
Date: 6/6/07
Time: 8.01am
Weight: 7lbs 8oz
Height: 56cm

So, that means we have a few winners. Erlend guessed the day correctly and though Warden didn't go with the surname, he was right on with the historical figure that we choose for the middle name. Barnes was close on the weight (and if your guess of Murray was from M'Cheyne let me know and I'm sure we can have a prize for you too), but Elijah fell short of 5kgs.

As for our clues, if you want to shorten his first and middle name you can call him emac (thus the apple product). Rich Mullins has a song by the name of Elijah.

That is all for now, we'll try to keep things current here over the summer.

Clues, clues, and more clues...

In regards to the said competition below we thought we'd offer some help. So here are the clues thus far:
1. One name is biblical and the other historical
2. A song can be found with the title of one of the names
3. The biblical name is found in both the OT and the NT
4. The historical name is a surname
5. A particular Apple Macintosh product gives some help

Don't forget you can also guess date of birth, height, weight, and such. Happy guessing!

Your guess is as good as mine

Greetings Indexers,

You've heard it whispered since last Sunday so to put all rumors to rest hear it from the horse's mouth here, the baby Luey name pool is officially open.

What is this you ask? Well, it is the opportunity for you to guess the first and middle name of the wee man that will be arriving, Lord willing, in the next 3-4 weeks. You can email me or simply reply to the post here with your guesses.

Clues: one is biblical, one is historical (which really they both are historical, but only one is found in the bible) and a song has the title of one of them.

Why should I do this? There are numerous reasons. The first is that, should you be correct, you would have bragging rights for a good long while. Secondly, there will be various prizes given to the winners. These will include books, of course, meal vouchers and maybe other things as well. Third, there is no purchase necessary to enter. It doesn't get any better than this folks.

One last thing. In addition to name guessing you may also do your best at guessing the height, weight, and date of the little Luehrmann.

We look forward to announcing the results in the weeks ahead.

SUMMER MISSIONS

Can we ask a favour from our plethora of readers? If you are going on or will be involved in summer missions work could you please answer the following:

Name:
Destination/Dates:
Brief Summary of Trip:
Prayer Requests:
Profile Picture

and send them to: missions@teams.carrubbers.org? Many thanks.

Abhorring Henry Martyn

Last Sunday night we looked at 3 lessons from the life of Henry Martyn.

1. Being satisfied in God alone.
2. Concern for the souls of people.
3. Critical self-examination in a pursuit of holiness.

In light of the third lesson, here is a brief quote from Martyn:

Men frequently admire me, and I am pleased; but I abhor the pleasure I feel; Oh! did they but know that my root is rottenness!

I don't think Martyn was overly pious or had some low view of himself, rather, I think we generally have too high a view of ourselves. And again, this is all tied to having a clear view of who God is. Martyn's pursuit of holiness was intricately tied to his view of and satisfaction in God.

And finally, I still have the biography of Henry Martyn by George Smith for anyone who is interested. Smith was a prolific missions writer having biographies on William Carey, Alexander Duff (most famous Scottish missionary), Henry Martyn, as well as a brief history of missions. For anyone who would be interested in learning more about Martyn this would be a fantastic place to start, and, I might add, it is quite a rare.

A God-centred God?

Last week we looked a bit at The End for Which God Created the World - by Jonathan Edwards (for more on Edwards look here and here). What I want to do here is merely relay some of the info from our study together. We’ll consider first Edward’s philosophical reasons and then look at his scriptural argument. This post may seem a bit choppy and necessarily short (compared to the whole) and is no substitute for reading the real thing (you may need to register). There is an entire section on ultimate ends, final ends, etc., which is very helpful in the reading of the entire work. OK, one we go...

Philosophical Reasons [brackets are my words, otherwise it is Edward’s words]:

- If the creature gets its ALL from the Creator (entirely and perfectly), how is it possible that it should add anything God -- does God now become dependent upon his creation.

- God has respect to things according to their nature and proportions, he must necessarily have the greatest respect to himself. The moral rectitude of the disposition [to approve of what/who is best], inclination, or affection of God chiefly consists in a regard to himself, infinitely above his regard to all other beings; or, in other words, his holiness consists in this.

- If it be an infinitely amiable thing in God, that he should have a supreme regard to himself, then it is an amiable thing that he should act as having a chief regard to himself.

[If God regarded someone (their interests, needs, desires) more highly than himself, then he would not be God, that thing or person would be.]

- That a disposition in God, as an original property of his nature, to an emanation of his own infinite fulness, was what excited him to create the world; and so, that the emanation itself was aimed at by him as a last end of the creation.

- God did not love angels in the strictest sense, but in consequence of his intending to create them, and so having an idea of future existing angels. Therefore his love to them was not properly what excited him to intend to create them.

[Doesn’t this make him selfish?]
But if God be indeed so great, and so excellent, that all other beings are as nothing to him, and all other excellency be as nothing, and less than noting and vanity, in comparison to his; and God be omniscient and infallible, and perfectly knows that he is infinitely the most valuable being; then it is fit that his heart should be agreeable to this--which is indeed the true nature and proportion of things, and agreeable to this infallible and all-comprehending understanding which he has of them, and that perfectly clear light in which he views them--and that he should value himself infinitely more than his creatures.

[In short, part of God’s moral goodness is that he approves/esteems what is best. God, being God, is the best there is, so he must esteem himself above everything else.]

Scriptural Reasons:
God is the first and the last - the beginning and the end (Is 44.6, 48.12, Rev 1.8, 11, 17, 21.6, 22.13)
When God is so often spoken of as the last as well as the first, the end as well as the beginning, it is implied, that as he is the first, efficient cause and fountain, from whence all things originate; so, he is the last, final cause for which they are made; the final term to which they all tend in their ultimate issue.
See Rom 11.36, Col 1.16, Heb 2.10, Pro 16.4

God’s glory is an ultimate end in creation

1. The way in which God makes himself his end is in making his glory his end. - Is 48.11, Rom 11.36

2. The glory of God is spoken of as the end for which those parts of the moral world that are good were made - Is 60.21, 61.3; Is 43.1-7; eph 1.5

3. Goodness of the moral part of creation [previous one focused on the creation, this focuses on the works of that moral creation] - Phil 1.10-11; 1 Pet 4.11; faith - Rom 4.20; repentance - Josh 6.19; charity - 2 Cor 8.19; praise and thanksgiving - Luke 7.18, Ps 50.23 - the end of all religion is to glorify God. - 1 Cor 6.20

4. Men and women are required to seek God’s glory - 1 Cor 10.30, 1 Pet 4.11

5. The glory of God is the earnest desire and delight of God’s moral creation when they are rightly related to God. [ie - people in scripture expressing or asking that God be glorified] - Rom 11.36, 16.27; Gal 1.4-5; 2 Tim 4.18; 2 Pet 3.18; Jude 25; 1 Chron 16.28-29; Ps 115.1

6. Christ sought God’s glory as the highest end - John 7.18, 12.27-28, 17.1

7. God’s glory is the end of the work of redemption - [Christ’s prayer in John 12 shows that when he seeks his own glory and the glory of the Father, he seeks it as the end of the great work that he has come to do (see vs. 12.4-5)] - John 13.31-32 [just after Judas had left to go betray him] - Luke 2.14, [this song of the angels had to be based on what they knew of the purpose of Christ’s arrival on earth] - Phil 2.6-11; Eph 1.3ff; 2 Cor 4.14-15

8. The glory of God is the last end of his moral government -

God created the world for his name, to make his perfections known, and that he made it for his praise

God’s name is the object of his regard - 1 Sam 12.22; Ezk 20.9, 14, 22; Ezk 36.21-23; Is 48.9-10; the judgments God executes on the wicked are spoken of as being for his name’s sake - Ex 9.16; Neh 9.10

[He then goes on to explain how ‘the glory of God’, ‘the name of God’, and numerous other terms and phrases are all pointing to the same thing. So in concluding his work he says...]

The ultimate end of creation is not manifold, but one.

It may be looking at this one object from different angles or in a different light, but it is all bound up in the phrase - the glory of God.

The emanation and true external expression of God’s internal glory and fulness.
It is described in a variety of ways because of the difficulty we as humans have in understanding all that it means in merely one word or one phrase. It includes the exercise of his perfections, the manifestation of his internal glory, the communication of his fulness to the creature

The fulness of the Godhead is the fulness of his understanding, consisting in his knowledge; and the fulness of his will consisting in his virtue and happiness. And therefore, the external glory of God consists i the communication of these. The communication of his knowledge is chiefly in giving the knowledge of himself: for this is the knowledge in which the fulness of God’s understanding chiefly consists. And thus we see how the manifestation of God’s glory to created understandings, and their seeing and knowing it, is not distinct from an emanation or communication of God’s fulness, but clearly implied in it. Again, the communication of God’s virtue or holiness, is principally in communicating the love of himself. And thus we see how, not only the creature’s seeing and knowing God’s excellence, but also supremely esteeming and loving him, belongs to the communication of God’s fulness. And the communication of God’s joy and happiness, consists chiefly in communicating to the creature that happiness and joy which consists in rejoicing in God, and in his glorious excellency; for in such joy God’s own happiness does principally consist. And in these things, knowing God’s excellency, loving God for it, and rejoicing in it, and in the exercise and expression of these, consists God’s honour and praise.

[Because God’s joy is found in himself and pursuing his happiness, when we find our joy in him and his happiness that is supremely glorifying to him.

The focus in our salvation was and is God, not man. This answers many of the questions that may have been raised over the last weeks. The challenge is for us to be as God-centred as God is. Much more could be said, but I'll leave that to you to chat it over with your friends.]

The Fountain of our Faith: God or Man? (Part 6)

Well, certainly not the last word on the subject, but the last in this series (see previous posts: 1, 2, & 3, & 4 & 5).

Here all I really want to do is think about a few questions.

The first has to do with the will of God. This is simply to ask, if God wills or desires that everyone be saved then why isn’t everyone saved if God is choosing those who will be saved?The short answer is that a distinction must be made in the will of God so much so that we can rightly talk about two wills. One is God’s prescriptive will where he tells us what he desires. I know that God’s will for me is to be a faithful husband, father, and pastor. He does not want me to lie, steal, etc.

God also has a decretive will which is his will and purpose that will bring all to pass. This is also called his secret will. This is the will of God that we cannot know until it comes to pass. This is something of what James is getting at when he writes about how we should view the future and our intentions saying ‘If the Lord wills...’

So what does this mean for salvation and people being chosen for salvation? John Frame writes, ‘God’s will is sometimes thwarted because he wills it to be, because he has given one of his desires precedence over another...God does not intend to bring about everything he values, but he never fails to bring about what he intends.’ To say it another way, God is often pleased to ordain his own displeasure. A quick example can be seen in the death of Christ. God does not desire people to murder and betray, yet he purposed and willed that Christ would be betrayed and killed so that he would provide salvation.

If you want to read more on this (and before you ask any questions), I highly recommend John Piper’s article Are There Two Wills in God?

The second thing I want to consider as we close deals with the issue of prayer and evangelism.

Many will say that if God chooses who will be saved then it doesn’t matter what we do because it won’t change or have any effect on the outcome of things. Well, for one, that is ludicrous. To say that what I do doesn’t have any effect is to deny the obvious and contradict reality. Also, to say that I don’t need to evangelise because of election is to neglect clear instructions of scripture. That is to sin. To say that the doctrine of election encourages me to sin is silly. Nor I am told anywhere in scripture that I am to base my actions on the secret will of God, which I do not know. John Pipers writes, ‘The unknown purposes (or decrees) of God are not the rule of our conduct nor the grounds upon which we act, so the inscrutable operations of God are not the rule our ground of our action, but his revealed (prescriptive) will is. The rule for us in every case is the revealed will presented to our consciousness.’

One author reflects that if one says that election would keep us from evangelism, it would also keep us from eating:
If God has eternally decreed that you should live, what is the use of your breathing? If God has eternally decreed that you should talk, what is the use of your opening your mouth? If God has eternally decreed that you should reap a crop, what is the use of you sowing the seed? If God has eternally decreed that your stomach should contain food, what is the use of your eating?...In order to educate us, [God] demands that we should use the means, or go without the ends which depend upon them. There are plenty of fools who make the transcendental nature of eternity and of the relation of the eternal life of God to the time-life of man an excuse for neglecting prayer. But of all the many fools in the United States, there is not one absurd enough to make the same eternal decree an excuse for not chewing his food or for not voluntarily inflating his lungs.

J.I. Packer writes - So far from making evangelism pointless the sovereignty of God in grace is the one thing that prevents evangelism from being pointless. For it creates the possibility--indeed, the certainty--that evangelism will be fruitful. Were it not for the sovereign grace of God, evangelism would be the most futile and useless enterprise that the world has ever seen, and there would be no more complete waste of time under the sun than to preach the Christian gospel.

The doctrine of God’s sovereign grace is the only thing that gives up hope in our evangelism that people will indeed be saved.

On the side of prayer, if one does not believe in election then if he or she is to be consistent there should never be any prayers offered to God that people would be saved for this would be praying to God to do something that he is incapable of doing if it lies merely within the will of man to accept God. So, if you do not believe in election I would suggest that you stop praying for God to save people, but rather pray to people that they might accept God.

Here is one last link if you want to think about another question this might raise.

I hope this has been helpful and biblical. Let’s rejoice in the amazing grace of our great God!

The Fountain of our Faith: God or Man? (Part 5)

Why and how does anyone get saved if they are unable to exercise faith in their fallen condition? [see parts 1, 2, & 3, & 4] This post may be a bit longer than the others, but I trust it will be worth the time.


The answer that the bible gives is that people are saved by grace through faith, which is a gift given by God and rooted in election.

Here is the experience of some in the book of Acts:
Acts 13.48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

From this we see that believing is a consequence and not the cause of God’s election/choosing/appointing. It is also clear that it is a limited number who are ordained to life, otherwise the words ‘as many as’ would be pointless and meaningless. And, finally, we can see that everyone who was appointed will certainly believe as ALL who were appointed DID believe.

In Acts again we see that the heart of Lydia was opened by God so that she believed the message of the gospel Paul brought ( 16.14).

In John’s first epistle in chapter 5 verse 1 he writes, ‘Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.’ John uses a present tense verb meaning continuous ongoing action when he speaks of believing in Christ. He then uses what is called a perfect tense verb referring to being born of God. This means an action that took place in the past with present and ongoing effects. That’s to say they were born previous to believing, but the effect is sustained. So again we see that belief is an effect and not the cause of the new birth.

The apostle Peter speaks of those who are saved as being foreknown by God (1 Peter 1.1-2). This word does not speak merely of knowledge, but of a relationship. ‘To know’ in the scriptures means more than having information in your head. Adam knew Eve and a baby boy was the result! Some would say that ‘forelove’ would be a fair and adequate translation. To say that God foreknowing people means he looks down the corridor of time and sees who will choose him and he THEN elects them cannot be what this means. For one thing, this goes against all that we have looked at concerning the condition of man and his will. Also, this same word is used to refer to Christ in 1 Peter 1.20. This is just 18 verses away from Peter’s use of it in reference to Christians. If we are to be constant in our interpretation, if it means God looks ahead in time and sees who will choose him, then it would also mean that he looks ahead in time and realises that Christ is going to be the Messiah, though he hadn’t necessarily planned or intended that. Serious issues there friends.

We get the clearest picture from the apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus. First, we’ll consider some passages from the letters of Paul.

2Th. 2.13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonians because God chose them to be saved.

2Tim. 1.9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

This is, perhaps, one of the most explicit. It is according to God’s purpose and grace (not influenced by any outside source, determined only by himself) that salvation comes. Here we get a good picture into the extreme God-focus of God. God is the centre of everything, not man. Salvation is to be God-focused, not man-focused.

Again in 2 Timothy:
2Tim. 2.24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Repentance is something that God must grant, otherwise it will not happen.

And, lastly from Paul, Eph 1.3-5 -
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Here again we see the purpose of God’s will being the driving force in salvation.

A few passages from the life of Christ.

First, Matthew 11.20 and following. Here Christ denounces the cities that have rejected him. One would think this would be cause for sorrow and despair that no one is receiving Christ, yet his response is one of thanks to the Father because of his purpose in election and choosing who will be saved (vs. 25ff). And then, in the very next verse (28) he invites everyone to come to him for salvation. In these few verses we have a clear statement on election coupled with a free offer of the gospel to all people.

A second passage is from John 6. 37-65 (esp. 37-40, 44, 65). Christ speaks of three impossibilities here. It is impossible to come unless the Father draws (44, 65). It is impossible for someone who the Father calls not to come (37). It is impossible to be cast out or lost if you do come (37).

A few thoughts to close (this lengthy post). Does this mean that God shows favouritism? If by that you mean that some are chosen and others are not, yes. If by that you mean God chooses because of something in or about us, thus showing favouritism towards certain people, no.

Grace is sovereign. That is to say, it is optional in its exercise and extent. Although God is gracious in his eternal being, he need not be gracious toward or shower his grace upon anyone. If grace were at any time an obligation of God, it would cease to be grace. God’s grace, therefore, is distinguishing. He graciously saves some but not all, not based on anything present in the creature either possible or actual, foreseen or foreordained, but wholly according to his sovereign good pleasure.

It is only here that the glory of God’s grace is preserved. Listen (actually read) to the words of Berkouwer contrasting synergism and monergism.

[monergism - a divine blessing purchased by Christ for those the Father has given him. A grace working independently of any human cooperation. It is in contrast to synergism, the view that there is a cooperation between the efforts of the human and the divine in regards to the regenerating process.]

Remember our goal in preserving the glory of God’s grace:
Berkouwer - in no form of synergism is it possible to escape the conclusion that man owes his salvation not solely to God but also to himself. Still more accurately, he may thank himself--by virtue of his decision to believe--that salvation actually and effetively becomes his in time and eternity. To be sure, synergism is constantly seeking to avoid this conclusion, and it is seldom expressed in so many words that salvation really depends partly on man. Nevertheless, this conclusion cannot in the long run be avoided and it is clear that we actually are confronted here with the real problem of synergism as it results in a certain amount of humon self-conceit.

R.C. Sproul says - loving a holy God is beyond our moral power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds his holy love in our hearts, unless he stoops in his grace to change our hearts we will not love him. To love a holy God requires grace. Grace strong enough to pierce our hardened hearts and to awaken our moribund (approaching death or a final end) souls.

I will leave you with the words of William Guthrie, a Scottish Covenanter who in reference to his book The Christian’s Great Interest (from which this quote is taken) John Owen (the leading theologian in Britain in the 17th century, his works fill 23 500 page volumes) said ‘I have written several folios, but there is more divinity in this little book than in them all.’ He writes:

although none at all do cordially close with God in Christ Jesus, and acquiesce in that ransom found out by God, except only such as are elected and whose hearts the Lord sovereignly determines to that blessed choice; yet the Lord has left it as a duty upon people who hear this gospel, to close with His offer of salvation through Christ Jesus, as if it were in their power to do it; and the Lord, through these commands and exhortations conveys life and strength to the elect, and therein conveys the new heart unto them, which points kindly towards this new device of saving sinner, and towards Christ in His covenant relations; for it is the Lord’s mind, in these commands and invitations, to put people on some duty, with which He uses to concur for accomplishing that business between Him and them; so then, it is a coming on our part, and yet a drawing on His part; it is a drawing on His part and a running on our part; it is an approaching on our part, and yet a choosing and causing to approach on His part; it is a believing or receiving on our part and yet it is given us to believe.

One more post to go.

The Fountain of our Faith: God or Man? (Part 4)

The freedom of man’s will is our next topic following on from the previous posts (1, 2, & 3).

Here is the best definition that I have found on this subject - man’s free will means that all have the ability to choose as one pleases.

I think most everyone would be happy with that definition. It affirms choice and decision-making capabilities as well as the liberty to do what we like.

So why do we make the choices we do? It is the influence of our heart, desires, motives, as well as external circumstances that inform and persuade the will to choose as it does. To say it another way, the will chooses based upon the strongest motive at the moment - the strongest inclination of the heart or mind at the moment. Consequentially it is not entirely free, but rather serves the mind or heart, our desires. It is not, and cannot be, neutral. A neutral will would involve choice without desire which is like having an effect without any cause.

In one sense then, to say the will is free is not entirely accurate because it is always subservient to something else. But to define it as the ability to choose as one please, I think, takes those other things into account.

[If you would like to read a short more philosophical explanation you can look here]

Would a sinful human being ever be pleased, or his or her own accord, in and of him/herself to choose Christ? Would someone be happy to renounce their own self dependence in favour of surrendering everything they are to Christ and desiring the he increase and they decrease?

I think scripture clearly informs us that this would not be the case. Man left to himself will not, yea, cannot, indeed, does not wish, verily, would never be able to choose Christ, but he would be absolutely free in this decision.

A few quotes to close this post.

First, Martin Luther -
[T]hat is, a man void of the Spirit of God, does not evil against his will as by violence, or as if he were taken by the neck and forced to it, in the same way as a thief or cut-throat is dragged to punishment against his will; but he does it spontaneously, and with a desirous willingness. And this willingness and desire of doing evil he cannot, by his own power, leave off, restrain, or change; but it goes on still desiring and craving. And even if he should be compelled by force to do any thing outwardly to the contrary, yet the craving will within remains averse to, and rises in indignation against that which forces or resists it.

Second, Sam Storms - author of this most helpful book -
But doesn’t God give each of us the opportunity to believe? Doesn’t he confront us with the gospel and say, “Believe in order that you may have life”? Yes, he does. But mankind always, invariably, inevitably, without pause, but no less willingly and voluntarily, says no. Note well. I am not saying that, when confronted with the gospel, a person cannot exercise his or her will. All of us have a will and we are all capable of exercising it in the making of choices. What I am saying is that, when confronted with the gospel, we cannot will well. We are not kept from believing against our wills.

The next question this raises? If man is so dead-set against God and would never choose him in and of himself, how in the world do people get saved?

I’m glad you asked...

The Fountain of our Faith: God or Man? (Part 3)

Picking up where we left off (part 1, part 2), what do the scriptures say about the condition of man? Is he able to choose Christ? Indeed, would he ever desire to choose Christ?

Let’s see...what does the bible say about man’s natural condition?

Man is blind - 2 Cor 4.1-6
Man is a slave - Rom 6.20, John 8.32-34
Man is immobile in coming to Christ - John 6.44
Man is dead - Eph 2.1
Man’s will is impotent - John 1.13, Rom 9.16
Man does not seek God - Rom 3.11
Man is an enemy of God - 5.10
Man’s mind is death - Rom 8.6
Man is at enmity with God - Rom 8.7
Man cannot please God - Rom 8.8
Man is not able to understand the things of God - 1 Cor 2.14

Again, for our purposes here I don’t think comment is necessary on these verses. They are explicit. What does the bible say about man’s ability to come to Christ? He cannot and will not come.

BUT, does not man have free will? Does this make humans robots? Why does it matter what anyone does then? Why are any held accountable for not doing something that they are unable to do? [Paul answers that last question in Romans 9.19-23]

YES, man does have free will, BUT we must define what we mean by free will. I trust with the passages above that we will agree that it cannot mean ‘the ability to choose Christ.’

More on free will next time.

The Fountain of our Faith: God or Man? (Part 2)

Last post we looked at Paul’s comparison of coming to Christ for salvation with the creative acts of God ‘in the beginning.’

In this post I want to answer 1 question and leave you with 1 question.

A brief preface to this post, perhaps to give a secondary reason for doing these posts (the first was to magnify the grace of God if you have forgotten already). I want us to think less highly about mankind (in many ways this is one of the biggest problems in talking with people, both Christian and non-Christian, they have too high of an opinion of man), and I want us to think more highly about God. For, indeed, we can never think too highly of God.

Now, the question to answer: Do commands in scripture imply the ability to fulfill them?

An initial human instinct may be to say, ‘Well, of course they do, otherwise why would God give them. It wouldn’t be fair for him to ask us to do something we can’t do, would it?” [footnote: this is perhaps the BIG question at the end of the day. I’m not going to deal with it here, but to think briefly about it: God did not sit around thinking ‘What can I command them to do that they are unable to do?’ Rather, he is supremely holy and cannot dwell with or tolerate sin. God’s holiness demands our perfection, irregardless if we have the ability to obtain it either through works or through faith borne out of ourselves. In his grace God provided a Redeemer in Jesus Christ and the question wasn’t ‘What is mankind capable of?’ but rather ‘What does mankind need?’ - end footnote]

That [a command implies ability] may seem logical, but is it biblical. If we think merely about the 10 commandments. Did God expect his people, indeed all people, to keep these. Absolutely. Has anyone been able to keep them? Has anyone even been close? Is there the possibility that someone down the road might keep them (these are rhetorical questions)?

Paul says that the law was added because of transgressions (Gal 3.19). So God adds a law demanding perfection to a people full of transgressions?

What about some other commands in scripture? Here are a few:

Deut. 10.16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.

Jer. 4.4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem;
lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of the evil of your deeds.”

Ezek. 18.31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?

Matt. 14.16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

1Pet. 1.16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Luke 7.13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

John 11.43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”

And you can add to that literally all of the commands of Christ to lame people to get up and walk, etc.

I don’t think anything really needs to be added to the reading of these passages. Clearly there are things asked here that cannot be done by the hearers.

To logically deduce that a command implies ability is to be unbiblical. Though I won’t do it here, it could probably be argued that the commands listed above, with all of the others given to us, at one level, are to help us see that we can’t do anything.

Now, we are thinking specifically related to the command to believe in Christ Jesus for salvation.

So, I leave you with this question. If we can’t affirm that a command implies ability, do the scriptures teach that man has the ability to choose Christ?

More to come...

The Fountain of our Faith: God or Man? (Part 1)

This is the first of what will be 4-6 posts on the issue of God’s grace in salvation. My goal, to magnify the grace of God, to make much of the glory of God’s grace which we can see in the dignity and excellency of the gift it bestows: salvation in Jesus; the degree of horror from which it delivers us: eternal punishment; the immeasurable unworthiness of those on whom it is lavished; the manner by which it was given: through the incarnation, humiliation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. It is this grace, that in salvation leaves us with no room for boasting. We can not bring anything to the table or add anything to the salvation that God provides (Eph 2.8-9).

To begin, I want to consider Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4.

2Cor. 4.1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants* for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Paul here strikingly compares what happens in salvation with the creation of the world. Seeing the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is just as easily done as creating light when there was only darkness. To see the beauty of Christ and desire Christ is to have something (faith) where there was once nothing. Or, in other words, something is created that was not there before. This begs the question of who possesses this creative power.

John Piper writes - This means that in the dark and troubled heart of unbelief, God does what he did in the dark and unformed creation at the beginning of our world. He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. So he says to the blind and dark heart, “Let there be light,” and there is light in the heart of the sinner. In this light we see the glory of God in the face of Christ.

This creative act, just as creation itself, is something that is beyond the ability of man. For me to create light such that I see Christ’s beauty and desire to come to him for salvation is just as likely as me creating a new universe or world in the lounge this evening.

Listen to Paul’s explanation of how he got saved in Galatians 1.

Gal. 1.13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles...

It was the revealing of the Son. It was sight where there was blindness, light where darkness.

Well, more to come on this. Here are some questions we’ll look at in the coming posts:
- Does the command to believe upon Christ imply the ability?
- Does scripture teach that humans have the ability to, in and of themselves, to believe upon Christ?
- Does man have free will? If so, what does that mean?
- Why are people saved? How do people get saved?
- and many more, which if I listed them here would give too much away (as if any of it is really a secret, it’s all in the bible for any to see).

Anything he hits... he destroys!

Yep, more Rocky. I make no apologies though. If you're anything like me, then the discovery (finally!) of this wonderful, maximum-bombast version of the motivational classic 'Hearts On Fire' by Springsteen rip-off legend John Cafferty will be greeted with utter, unbridled delight. Forget the faded-out versions you already have on repeat down at the gym, this one takes you along the icy path, out of the reach of the hapless KGB minders, and straight up to the top of the mountain. Get this on your mp3 player and you'll have to literally tie yourself to your chair, such will be your desire to work out. Altogether now... DRAGOOOOOOOOOO!

Oh, and by the way folks, if you happen to be either specifically looking for old posts (you know who you are), or rather unspecifically at the loosest of ends, then just click on the 'archives' down the right hand column of this page. You'll find all the old posts there; and let me just say this is one rainbow that does have a pot of gold at the end.

Help, for those who care...

Before we get into the series of posts on 'The Fountain of Our Faith: God or Man?' I want to give some help to those who are still pursuing and hunting down the answers to the last competition, which carries the prize of a first American edition of William Taylor's 'The Scottish Pulpit.' The question had to do with the exegetical society of which Robert Murray M'Cheyne was a part. I was looking for the two books that had a copy or picture of their original charter document. There were a few attempts, but I feel that no one will be able to answer it (does that make it a legitimate offer? more on this in the coming posts).

So...here are your two EXTREMELY helpful clues.

1. One book is about Andrew Bonar and the other book is about M'Cheyne.

2. The Bonar book was published in the late 1800s and the M'Cheyne book in the last 5 years.

If you look up titles online and just throw them all at me until you get it right I may not look favourably upon that.

And one last thing, this will only go until this next Sunday, and I've been offered quite a nice prize myself in exchange for the book. So if no winner by Sunday, I'll take the current offer that is on the table. I'm not like God in that I can and do show favoritism:) More on that in the coming posts as well. Cheerio.

A phd in foosbol? You better believe it

They're handing out phds for pretty much anything these days, so I'm told. Matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see them offered on the back of my Ricicles box sometime soon (no purchase necessary, of course. Btw, does anyone know why this rule is always enforced? Does it mean I could insist upon a chance in the lottery without actually buying a ticket?). Don't believe me? (I'm now referring to the statement made pre-bracket). How's about these apples - the University of Birmingham is now seeking applications from any academically-minded charlatans who fancy doing a (fully funded, of course) thesis on the science of table football. 'Manipulate the competitive environment?' I could do that - just stick one of my socks in the goals. Or cut a big hole in the pitch, that'd do it. 'Enhance our understanding of the physiological correlates of winning and losing?' Done: winning = good, losing = bad. 'Determine the relationship between psychophysiological reactivity to competition and individual differences in dispositional competitiveness'. Easy - it's problematic, and demanding of further inquiry. Result.
It's a funny old game.

Tempus Fugit - Bitesize!

Talk about causing a stir - I'd dare to say that there hasn't been as much stirring (or whisking) going on since the Angel Delight (or Instant Whip if your parents were cheapskates)-obsessed days of the early to mid 80s. I'm talking, of course, about the Tempus Fugit restaurant reviews. And I don't just mean from official 'friend of the blog', Dr Timothy 'Dr Hilary' Bennett, either. Well actually I do. Anyway, to save a bit of grafting on my part, and, more importantly, to give me an excuse to use this cool photo, I thought I'd give you a few more of my guaranteed-to-be-amazing eatery suggestions, dans small size. There may well be a full-blown Tempus update soon, so watch out for that.



Tres expensif - Gleneagles Hotel & General Country Fancy Place, Gleneagles, Perthshire www.gleneagles.com

Watch out on those cycle paths! No, seriously, do watch out because I hear they can be treacherous, especially with diplomats around. Otherwise, fill your boots with great grub in this palatial Scottish paradise (as 'Graham' from Blind Date may well have said). Afternoon tea is up there with the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews and a few other less well-known but far better places as amongst the best in Scotland. It’s bloomin’ top notch nosh, but at around £20 quid (price varies depending on where in the hotel you take it) you will definitely want to take an empty stomach, and to fill up your belly with at least a week’s supply of sandwiches and cakes. Otherwise, Andrew Fairlie’s reputation precedes him but someone else will have to be paying, The Strathearn seems at first to be as stuffy as a morgue in a heatwave but actually isn’t that bad (there are too many Americans for them to get away with that) and the Club is great fun but maybe not special enough for a day trip. Actually, forget that – the village of Gleneagles and its surrounding countryside is so picturesque that it would be worth coming here just to get a double whopper meal (maybe not a single whopper meal… it’s immaterial though as there isn’t a Burger King around for miles). Anyway, just get yourself up here and enjoy the lovely part of Scotland, any further up the A9/M90 and everything just gets a bit too barren (sorry cheuchters).

Tres tres reasonable - Yen Rotunda, Glasgow www.yenrotunda.com

Ok, let's be realistic. You’re not going to traipse across to the recorded birthplace of 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper just to visit this place. Indifferent grief, you wouldn't even do it if it actually was Rowdy Roddy's place of birth (shattering illusions is Indexing's business, I'm afraid - 'Hot Rod' was born in Saskatoon and raised in Winnipeg. His actual name was Roderick George Toombs as well). However, should you ever be attending something at the SECC (Journey are there early in March FYI, with Michael Bolton stealing hearts later the same month), then I'd beseech you to give it a shot. From the outside, it doesn't look all that great (it actually says 'Casino' in neon lights, although why I have not a clue), although the actual history of the building is really interesting. Inside, though, the place is as smart as a parrot in a tuxedo. Downstairs and it's teppanyaki (lots of fun in a big group, not really pre-show fare) but upstairs it's a really nice oriental dining hall with a great menu, and typically lightening-fast oriental service, albeit a bit classier than you may be expecting (dress code is no problem though - when I go there's always lots of people in Yes or Pink Floyd T-shirts, depending on the occasion. Sometimes 'Scottish Job Fair’ shirts too, more depressingly).

Best thing about this place? The menu has a Japanese section, a Cantonese section, and a Thai section. So you have the option to look cool and sophisticated should the situation require it (early date etc). Or you can just get sweet and sour chicken balls and chips. The decision... is yours (for those who pay attention to what they're reading).

Tres fair enough - Crab Sandwich, Holy Island, Lindisfarne (no website - it's just some woman in her kitchen)

Is there anything more middle class than a day trip to Lindisfarne? Well, if there is, let me know, because although I don’t often use the word ‘rather’ in casual conversation, I do have a travel rug and a Volkswagen golf umbrella ready and waiting. All I know is, despite not actually having a soul, or even a personality of any kind, the Passat intuitively felt right at home as it crossed over to the island, kind of like D.A.R.Y.L did even though he wasn’t technically a real boy. It really is a great place to visit though. History literally seeps out of every pore (insert appropriate simile here, I was thinking fast food restaurant staff but you can maybe come up with better), and there's so much to see that the normally tortuous act of walking actually becomes almost pleasant, albeit fleetingly. It's also a bit of a rip-off merchant's paradise, especially when it comes to grub (I’m not paying Jersey prices for a poncy tidal island), so keep up with the Jones' and bring a thermos and fancy lunch box (I suppose your old yellow He-Man lunchbox would do, but you'll be surprised at just how small it looks now), and then head over in the direction of the castle. Before you reach the harbour, the last house on your left will have an open back door. Make an exclamation of some kind. With any luck, a little old lady will come out, and in exchange for about a pound, give you a sandwich positively filled to bursting with fresh crab meat. Now, I'll be honest here - I haven't eaten one of these in my life because I find the mere thought of them repugnant, and because I generally stick to the rule that if it isn't battered or smoked, it should be thrown back into the sea. However, far be it from me to let me own prejudices influence Tempus. If you like seafood at all, I am certain you will absolutely love these things, and in terms of value for money it's surely the best deal in Britain.

Mentions honorables (honourable mentions)

The Rocks, Dunbar, East Lothian http://experiencetherocks.co.uk

Dunbar is another great place for a day trip, (especially as it's only £2 return on the aforementioned Megatrain - all you 'I don't have a car' bleaters really have no excuse). It's a real old coastal town, and the influence of Oliver Cromwell - now there's a man worthy of his own blog post - can still be keenly felt (ie a lot of the place is in ruins). It has a couple of golf courses which are, unusually, great for strolls (especially the West course which forms part of the cliff-top walkway) and, appropriately, being home to John Muir, has a fantastic country park too. The best thing is, it has some great places to munch, with one of them being this place. It maybe isn't quite as 'homely' as the Open Arms at Dirleton (that figures I suppose) but it has its own atmos and also features some great grub, albeit without the great deals of some other places. A guy at my work who lives in Dunbar also highly recommends one of the town's chippies, and I have no reason to doubt him on that, although I know not of which one he refers to. I’m sure you could have great fun trying to work it out though.

Ye Olde Peacock Inn, Newhaven, Edinburgh (no website, silly - what part of 'Ye Olde' do you not understand?)

This place is already something of an institution at Carrubbers, a status owed in no small part to the far-reaching influence of the wider Warden clan. Basically, this place is one of a kind, a trip back in time via the number 11 bus. Well, at least a trip to a time where massive fishes were caught and immediately battered and served to hungry patrons like us, probably not actually a time any of our ancestry ever lived through. Mind you, it would explain why our fishing stocks are supposedly in such crisis. Anyway, I hear that their other dishes are pretty good, but in my mind to ask for anything other than fish de massive dans batter avec rubbish frozen chips in a bowl cause le fish fills le plate is utter madness bordering on blasphemy (not really, touchy). Not to worry, though, the elderly clientele who fill this place every single day (so, as I've said before, you know it's good) know the score and stick to their fish tea - actually, I sometimes wonder whether half the things on the menu even actually exist, or whether the requesting of, say, cajun chicken, requires a hasty dash to the local Scotmid. Anyway, the fish is just amazing, and call me an old fashioned dinosaur if you want, but the fact that there still exists a 'ladies portion' warms the cockles no end. Don't worry Germaine Greer - the ladies portion is still absolutely humongous, just a little smaller than the large portion. Of course, you folks being the discerning connoisseurs of fine cuisine that you are, will without hesitation plump for the 'whale', which is significantly more sizeable than both (but hilariously still comes with only one lemon segment with which to garnish - which, to put into some sort of perspective, is like being given one crayola crayon to re-paint the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel).

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Compo Time - My Turn

Ok folks, it's competition time again, though the prize is far different than anything before offered. It is certainly in character, just as DC's were. As an aside, I'd probably be quite happy to write on any subject that you may offer, without demanding that someone answer a question that is known by only a few Hyper-Bruford fans. Anyhow, this competition is for a book, yes this is Mikey posting here, called "The Scottish Pulpit."


It was written by William Taylor in 1887. What of this book? It covers the period from the Reformation up to the end of the 19th century. The material is fantastic and insightful. I know of at least one Doctor of Ministry programme in the US that requires this for their course. Much more could be said, but hopefully that will wet your appetite. It has recently been reprinted in paperback, but to find a first edition is almost impossible. But, believe it or not, here we have to offer an American first edition of Taylor's work published in 1887. So, you may wonder, what question could possibly merit such a prize? Well, I'm glad you wondered that, becuase here it is:

In 1838 Robert Murray M'Cheyne was part of a group of students at Edinburgh University that started the Exegetical Society. There were 9 members in all (at the time of it's inception). If you google from the information I've given you, you will quickly find the list of names and a picture of a copy of the original document with their names. What books contain a copy or picture of this document? There are 2 that I am aware of, perhaps more. Happy hunting.

Join on the choo-choo

I know what you're going to say, so you needn't bother - you come to Indexing to get away from all the crass, rampant commercialism which so blights the World Wide Web, and even (perhaps especially) blogs. You take solace in a world free of banners, 'buy here' links and (whisper it) pop-up adds, and you are reduced to a quivering wreck at the mere thought of this last bastion of the Marxist dream (without the enforced atheism) selling out to the moguls. Hear me out, though - this is a money-saving tale worth telling.

Maybe you've already heard of it, but I doubt it - the marketing policy is a strange one it seems, strange as in 'let's not tell anyone about this, or we'll go bust'. I hadn't until the other day, and no one I know had either, but that's all about to change. I'm talking about Megatrain. You'll have heard of Megabus probably - the company which allows you to sit on horrible old buses for ages so you can get somewhere cheap - well this is its sister company, and it works by exactly the same principles, except excitingly (albeit somewhat predictably) it uses trains. And not just crummy horrible megatrain trains, oh no - crummy horrible proper Virgin trains. Have a look for yourself: Edinburgh to Manchester return? That'll be £2 please, if you book at least a couple of days in advance (£25 tops). There's no Edinburgh-Glasgow or Edinburgh-London admittedly, but who cares when the home of our very own Barnesy Boy Kwant (Carlisle) is within reach for the price of a Whopper Junior (that's right, not even a real one)? Anyway, we'd better exploit this lunacy as soon as possible, cause someone's bound to try and get it shut down sooner or later, and my (metaphorical, of course) bet is on sooner.

Thompo Wins The Compo 29/1/07

May I pass on my heartfelt congratulations to Mr A Thompson of Fountainbridge for answering the question (see below) correctly and winning the prize, which he is free to claim at any time - unless I die (in case of which I've already discussed a contingency plan with Anna Luehrmann and she's kindly agreed to write it) or for some other reason lose my blog-posting privileges in the meantime. The drummer was indeed Bill Bruford, sometime Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Earthworks stickman, pictured playing actually with 2 Simmons SDX drum kits (that's SIXTEEN pads in all folks) on 1989's Yes-spinoff Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe tour. If you look closely, you may also see, amongst other things, a 24-inch Paiste gong and an acoustic Tama snare drum for emergencies (asides from being brilliantly designed and light years ahead of their time, Simmons kits were notoriously unreliable), such as occurred on the 15th July 1991 at, of all places, Madison Square Garden on the behemoth of a tour that was the Yes 'Union'. On said occasion, both kits simultaneously failed and and poor old Bill was left to fend off Alan 'Lightning' White in a drum battle with only said snare and the cymbals. Alas the lot of the electric percussionist. Acoustic drum fans can laugh at poor Bill's expense here, although I must warn you the picture quality is useless. To see the SDX's in all their glory, though, click here.

Oh, and by the way Andrew, if you'd like to suggest a further blog post on the rise and fall and rise again (the last rise being somewhat metaphorical, applying as it does only to that in my estimations) of the hapless, financially suicidal geniuses of Simmons, then you need only ask.

Did somebody say... montage?

It's Competition Time! ANSWERED - 28/01/2007

Good grief this is exciting. Since time immemorial, man has sought to attain but one accolade - that is, to become a winner of an Index blog competition. Many have battled in vain for such an award. Naomi Davidson won (amidst some controversy) the last and is now all the richer for having seen the mighty Asia dans concerto. But now, as if it were possible, the stakes have been raised even higher (I'd say the stakes are now at least eight feet in height). For, friends, the prize metaphorically dangling in front of your eyes now is the chance to rewrite a little bit of history (the history of the future, looking back to now). If, and I mean if, you can correctly answer the following question, then you will win the right to propose a topic about which I must write in a future blog post. That's right, whatever you'd like to be featured in this blog (bearing in mind this is a blog representing Index - which means, as far as I'm aware, that it can have a tittle but not too much tattle), will be, albeit in the DC style. So it may be something of an 'irreverent' look, depending on the subject - that will be up to me, you only get to choose the subject. Goodness I didn't think it would be this complicated. Anyway, maybe it's a serious topic you think folks (and me) need to know about. Maybe it's something you'd like to know more about but can't be bothered to research yourself. Whatever, I'll do all the work. Sounds good? Here's that all important question.

What kind of magnificent drumkit is featured in this photograph, and who is behind (and in front) of it?




No one who can view the script of this blog is allowed to enter (that means you Mikey). Otherwise, happy hunting. Oh, and to any drumming buffs out there, I know that, technically, this picture shows two kits, but you know what I mean.

Tempus Fugit Smashing The Fourth Wall!

Ready For More?



Tres expensif - Prestonfield, Prestonfield, Edinburgh www.prestonfield.com

Love is in the air folks. No, not here, it's all strictly business here at Blog Towers - but at the Prestonfield. 'Tis a romantic place, you see. For the Prestonfield, just think Narnia, except instead of a wardrobe you have the road on your left after the Commie Pool, past James 'Spency Boy' Spence's place. For, like Narnia, it's a massive place which you are entirely unaware the existence thereof until you enter it. The Prestonfield may not be full of Christian allegory, admittedly, but I'm sticking to my simile nonetheless.

Simile's abounding, and for that I make no apology - driving down the Prestonfield's, er, drive is like taking about seven steps back in time - and that's big metaphorical steps not little tiny ones (thanks Garth Marenghi). There's immaculate lawns, rolling fields, an amazing view of Arthur's Seat and lots of strange statues, ornaments and sunhouses and such. And like Jurassic Park, it seems to be able to maintain it's own ecological system despite being only five minutes equidistant from the sad relic that is the Commie's flume building (ahh, the Vortex and it's wonderful camel humps) and the monolithic faux-laser trimmed crystal maze-alike nightmare that is Cameron Toll. Don't worry, there's nothing there to have us naive, ignorant young-earthists choking on our Answers From Genesis FAQ sheets, but rather peacocks and even Highland Cattle roaming the grounds. It's all for the benefit of naive, ignorant tourists, of course, but I like it. Next time you're taking an afternoon stroll down Dalkeith Road, take a detour to the Prestonfield and have a look at the grounds for yourself - you'll be coughing up similes all the way home I promise you.

The tourist-baiting doesn't stop with the cattle either - just have a look at the staff. Every one of them looks like they've just walked (through some dimensional portal, I suppose) off a porridge box, although instead of throwing a shot or caber or something they're taking your coat and drinks orders: it's Brigadoon in hotel/restaurant form. As you enter, you're realise that the almost gentric (my dictionary tells me that isn't a word but then we've never gotten along very well) exterior is not replicated inside. Nope, inside you can tell immediately that James Thompson, 'impresario' so beloved of the Edinburgh press and the founder of such cathedrals of subtlety as the Witchery and the Tower, has had his wicked way with the place-  this place is decadent with a capital double chocolate topping, with chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles, on a white chocolate base. Whether it's tacky or not, with it's ultra-gothic decor and floor-to-ceiling tapestries (you'll have to resist the temptation to say you are a Scottish Lord who has 'come to see the tapestries' - they might not like the National Socialist implications), is subjective I guess - I think it probably is a little but it's lots of fun so I don't really care.

On arrival, you'll be offered a choice of rooms, each individually named and styled (I, like the stereotypical Brit I am, chose the 'yellow room' because there was no one else in it) in which you can enjoy pre-meal drinks and some little snacks, and peruse the menus. When your table is ready, you will be ushered through to a truly impressive dining room - the most extravagant in Edinburgh I'd say - from which the fun begins. All the while, you will be enjoying exceptional service which befits such a building, and I am glad to say that even when you make it clear that yes, you would like to order from the cheapy set menu rather than the a la carte, and no, you won't be having any wine, that doesn't change. Again, this is what should make you seriously consider coming here. So many people have this preconception that places like the Prestonfield are generally off limits to them, save perhaps for extra-special occasions, when in fact if they bothered to look they'd see a set menu on offer which will cost them little or no more than they'd pay at a Filling Station or Hard Rock Cafe. And trust me, the Prestonfield set menu is no poor relation - there was fois gras with at least one of the starters and one of the mains featured a roast beef fillet. It still feels and tastes special, which is the most important thing, but your heart isn't going to skip a beat when that small leather folder is brought out at the end - and the fact that it is significantly cheaper is probably, come to think about it, why most patrons of the Prestonfield seemingly give it a wide berth. Don't let that put you off though - the Index blog is making frugality cool again.

How much you say? Well, as is common in this feature you could pay a lot but if you are careful you needn't. There is a pretty affordable lunch and afternoon tea (now there's an under-utilised occasion) menu, and at dinner time the set menu (£16 for 2 courses) is great value, plus you can pay for the puddings separately to get three courses. If you're a boy on a date, I always recommend sharing a pudding as it seems somewhat quaintly romantic, you won't come across as a glutton and yet the lady will happily insist that you eat almost all of it, plus you save a few quid. Can't say fairer than that. I did pay for water on last visit, may have been able to push for tap but a surprisingly small pre-dinner drinks bill had left me in unusually good humour. Most importantly, I must point out (although I cannot guarantee you will be shown the same courtesy) that at no point did the opportunity to give a tip arise - maybe they forgot? With most places these days crassly challenging your thriftiness by allowing/forcing you to enter a 'service charge' directly into the card machine after paying the bill, such was an unexpected pleasure. I may get around to provide tipping advice at a later point, but for now I'll just say it depends on how confident you are and what sort of diners you are dining with - always best to stick to round numbers though as a specific total smacks of cheapness and penny-pinching, although if a ladyfriend has received poor service then a firm no tip may prove attractive. If your dining partner has worked in a service industry, and particularly if he/she has been a waiter or waitress, then you MUST leave a good tip, or they'll think less of you even if they don't let on.

And on what occasion? Well last time I checked the Brattasani's chippie was closed so if you're looking for some post-swimming grub you could do a lot worse. A date here will always go down well, although if your car is a banger beware because there's no place to hide in the Prestonfield car park - it's reminiscent of the one in that rubbish Nick Cage 'vehicle' Gone In Sixty Seconds (if you haven't seen it, don't bother - that gag was better than the film) without the Dodge Vipers. Best take a taxi or suddenly develop a desire for a short stroll if you are prone to insecurities. You'll want to get dressed up a little whatever the occasion though because all the staff are in kilts so you'll stand out a mile if you're scruffy, although again if such appeals then go right ahead - it's a hotel too so they won't chuck you out. In my experience, even ladies you think never like to get dressed up, secretly do so they'll love the opportunity presented here (apologies again to those shaking their heads). It's maybe a little special for family or friends get-togethers unless you like to do things a little formally - it's one of these great places that feels more expensive than it is and so is maybe best left for impressing although if my folks invited me out for a meal there I wouldn't say no.

And I could combine it with? A trip to the swimming pool up the road. And even though, as mentioned previously, the Commie Pool's flumes are closed, they still have diving boards so you won't get too bored. Or maybe you actually just enjoy swimming back and forward, whatever floats your boat (NOTE: there aren't any floats there either, I'm afraid. Yes you're right, it is rubbish and we do pay too much Council tax, unless you're a tax-dodging student which I know many of you are, in which case you might want to take a long, hard look at yourself because you may be the reason I can't bash my head going down Stingray anymore. Anyway, I digress which I don't think is allowed in a bracket). A perfectly pleasant afternoon or evening could be spent perusing the grounds and retiring to one of the Prestonfield's rooms, you could play a round of golf on the adjacent course if you knew someone with a membership, were rich or didn't have an ethical problem with sneaking on, you could go to Arthur's Seat for a walk or to slide down a bit of it on a bin bag, or you could really treat yourself and peruse (that word again) Cameron Toll's fine arcade of wonderful stores.


Tres tres reasonable - Deveau's at The Open Arms Hotel, Dirleton, East Lothian www.openarmshotel.com

If you happened to read an earlier part of this Index blog-exclusive feature, you'd have read me say some pretty harsh things about heritage bodies and the sites they try and preserve. Partly, I said them because I think they're true, but partly I must confess I said them because I was thinking at the time of asking a pretty big favour of someone I knew at one of the sites and I find self-aware teasing like that funny for some reason. The truth is, some heritage sites remain untouched by the trappings of modern day efforts to hold the attention of us absent-minded, media-obssessed youngfolk, one such place being Dirleton Castle.

Tantallon Castle (that amazing looking place in the picture), five miles or so past North Berwick heading east, is another and is in fact far far nicer (probably the best historic site of any kind in Scotland IMHO) than Dirleton Castle but it doesn't have a great hotel and restaurant directly opposite it so, anyway, as I was saying, Dirleton Castle. It's big, it's pretty much intact, it has some pretty boring grounds round it and it still has a drawbridge at the front of it. So far so alright. But that place opposite it!

The Open Arms is to village hotel/restaurants what Steve Howe is to guitar playing, ie a very good example thereof. It's also versatile, getting on a bit, and quietly understated, and whatever the hotel/restaurant equivalent of the pedal steel is,  I've no doubt that it has mastered it (maybe it's having an open fire in the lounge?) It might look like a trillion other places you drive past on the great B-roads of this fine nation (that's the UK, not just this little top bit of it) but in actual fact it's a whole lot better than just about all of them, and you owe it to yourself to visit it and to do it soon, although it's not closing or anything like that as far as I've heard so if you can't for a while that should be fine too.

I've told loads of folk about the Open Arms and how good it is. Most of them couldn't care less what I think about it, some of them had a vague expression on their coupons (that's Scottish for faces, or heads, in case I offended anyone last paragraph) which suggested they were either not listening at the time or were temporarily comatose but were probably just not listening; some however have actually taken heed of my recommendation and made the trip out to Dirleton. What's important is that they've agreed, it is barry (that's Scottish for good, or at least it was when I were a lad). Dirleton's a lovely place, just off the North Berwick road a couple of miles before it reaches there, and leads if you go through it to the best beach in East Lothian (and the best grassy car park for some late-night boy racing action) Yellowcraigs. Dirleton itself has a village green, a proper old village shop (which does, I am delighted to inform you, continue bravely to sell, or at least offer for sale, buckets and spades), a lovely church complete with graveyard and a couple of those art gallery/pottery/woollen/expensive tea shop places which are lovely to walk around but from which you'll never buy a thing. There's at least one other hotel there, which sells food too, but it can't be better than the Open Arms so just ignore it.

A warning - book in advance for this place. I'm telling you - the old folks come here in their well-informed droves. Looking for a sure sign of quality with anything? Follow those blue rinses. I was out in Portobello the other day, looking for a coffee shop (as you do when you're a bohemian type like me), and when I saw some old dears enjoying a scone in one particular place on the High Street, I knew I'd struck afternoon relaxation gold. Make no mistake, if there's one thing that old people hate (other than a young person sitting in one of the 'elderly or infirm' seats on the bus) it's being ripped off. They won't (can't? - I can get away with that after my earlier posts can't I?) stand for it, and neither should we. Deveau's, the Brasserie is where they go, rather than the sumptuous fine dining 'Library' restaurant (about £30 a head and worth every penny I believe, but just try telling that to an oldie when there's cheaper grub available in the same place) also offered by the Open Arms, and for tres tres reasonable purposes we will too.

The menu of this place is amazing. It's vast, and yet changes everyday too, in a way which would be irritating if everything that sounds delicious wasn't replaced by something equally so every time. Expect to be greeted by about 25 dishes you fancy, from staples like lasagne with garlic bread to lemon sole gougons with baked potato wedges and haggis, from venison to, well look at the menu on the website. Nothing pretentious about any of the dishes, and nothing an old person (or us savvy but food illiterate youngsters) wouldn't understand, either, but everything just sounds so appealing. If only there was a 'little bit of everything' option, but I suppose that would create something of a logistical problem for the chef. Anyway, everything does change daily, but you can rest assured that these sorts of things will always be available, either as starters or mains, in different combos. And before I go any further, because I know how important this is to so many of you cheapskates, COMPLIMENTARY WATER IS SERVED as are complimentary warm rolls with butter, so one Irn Bru should last the whole meal. It's always good to know you can pour more water into your dining partner's glass in a chivalrous manner without pangs of regret at the financial recriminations I find, so the water is welcome.
How much you say? The menu on the website should give you the rundown. In other words, look for yourself. Dish by dish, prices are pretty much average (although the food is most certainly not) but when you take advantage of the special deals always available, you'll probably leave feeling that you should have worn a black and white striped T-shirt, a black mask and carrying a bag with a dollar sign on it.  Basically, go either at lunchtime or, for dinner, make sure you arrive before 7pm, Monday to Thursday, or half 6, Friday to Sunday, and you'll save yourself a fortune and get quite possibly the best value meal of your life - three courses at £14:25 is outstanding for what you get, £11:45 for two is great also and you can choose which two courses those should be (I'm not a starter and-pudding man myself, to be honest I can't say I've ever met one either, but maybe you are and in that case you will be well served; likewise if you're gluttony only extends as far as two puddings). Follow that up with a coffee or tea which you can take in the lovely lounge (avec aforementioned log fire), and which the good folks will be happy to replenish avec shortbread for as long as you like at no extra charge, and even the cheapest of thrift merchants is going to be happy.

And on what occasion? Taking a left turn off the A1 before Port Seaton is like swapping your Ford Focus for a DeLorean without the gullwing doors - it's a step back in time. If that appeals, then any chance to visit East Lothian is a good occasion, and when there you could meet your gastronomic needs no better than at the Open Arms (apart from maybe Greywalls at Muirfield but that's a story for another post, and couldn't be described as tres tres reasonable cause it's pretty dear). I'll say it again - avoid the city centre if you can and take a trip out of town - any family engagement, date or day out with friends will be all the better for it. Having said that, I must make mention of Kebabish Original just down from the Playhouse where the Bronx Cafe used to be (they sold up after a big lottery win in case you were wondering) - which contrary to popular belief is a Pakistani grill restaurant rather than a kebab house but also does great pizzas and burgers and stuff - and which despite being in the centre of town and belonging to a chain is actually great. Anyway, I'm standing both corrected and at the same time adjacent to my earlier comment, as is my wont.

And I could combine it with? When you've made the short trip out to Dirleton, the world is quite literally your oyster, whatever that means. I've mentioned Yellowcraigs, which is great particularly because the payoff of the sea and beach necessitates a little walk - you can't see it from the car park. I recollect the prospect of the journey from car to sea being as a dagger through my 9 year old heart as a lad - especially the return journey, which of course followed the singularly traumatic experience of mother scrubbing the sand from my feet with a sandpaper-like towel - but now I can appreciate it, especially as it passes a public toilet (those tall grasses just not being quite tall enough anymore). Otherwise, there's golf aplenty and Gullane, Longniddry et al, the aforementioned castles at Dirleton and the spectacular Tantallon (perhaps the single greatest engagement spot on earth if anyone's interested in such things) and North Berwick itself where there is loads to do, except for (sadly) swim in a massive freezing outdoor swimming pool. It's now a sea bird centre, so at least the birds are happy with the change (I imagine, haven't asked them personally).


Tres fair enough - Anstruther Fish Bar, Anstruther, Fife www.anstrutherfishbar.co.uk

The way I see it, an imaginary journalist should be fully entitled to an imaginary postbag. After all, Glen Michael had one, and, fair enough, he was the purveyor of a cavalcade of fine cartoons, but I mean, come on.
Anyway, I was perusing said postbag just the other day (no, not that one, the other day) when I came across this question. Dave Charlie, what's the best chippie on this great and glorious island? Thanks for the letter, I thought to myself (the imaginary correspondent told me not to mention it), but that's so easy it was barely worth your time writing it even in an imaginary metaphysical way - Something's Cooking in Letterston, South West Wales by a mile. So I carried on about my business, then came another question - So what's the best in this little top bit of it, you know, Scotland, then? Ahh, I thought, that's a little tougher.

Now, the Sea Fish Industry Authority might say that some place in Falkirk does the best fish supper in Scotland, but can we really place our trust in such a body? Not in my experience we can't. Anyway, just as truly great swordfish can only be enjoyed on the coastal towns of the Algarve, and irn-bru from the confines of a cold glass bottle with a little dirt at the bottom and a slightly scabby-looking label, so a fish supper must be consumed within sight of the sea, preferably while perched on a small wall or park bench. Sorry Falkirk, you might (when it's fully functional) have a great wheel, but the best chippie in Scotland you cannot have. That honour must belong to Anstruther and its 'famous' (their inverted commas, amusingly) Fish Bar. UPDATE - It seems the Index blog just grows and grows in prestige and influence. Pray tell, which restaurant has won the hilariously-titled 'Scottish Fish and Chip Shop of the Year 2006-7' award? Yep, you've guessed it. Don't wait for the world to catch up - read it on the Index blog.

So what's so good about it? Oops, that's not an official Tempus question - shouldn't be italicised. So what's so good about it? Well, the location could not be better for a start. Look out the windows and all you'll see is sea. Well, and harbour, and fishing boats, and those massive orange ring things which would be too heavy to throw to someone even if they weren't rusted to their pole, and stuff like that. This, as all fish fans know, is perfect for helping galvinate (good ol' American English) the perception of freshness, even if the reality is that your haddock was caught somewhere close to where the Soviet government so beloved of our nation's academics used to send theirs. The other great thing is the queue you're guaranteed to find outside the place - building the anticipation of a quality meal, and there's nothing quite like the sight of a four year old absent-mindedly throwing the gargantuan remnants of their supper to the already quite sufficiently fattened gulls to really get the stomach juices flowing (in hunger mainly, incandescent rage a little as well).

Still , I mean, still not convinced? When you finally get inside, and decide if you want to join the takeaway queue or the sit-in one, you can peruse newspaper cuttings describing the patronage of such celebrities as Tom 'Turner' Hanks and our very own 'Bonnie' Prince William. But, best of all (oh, by the way, the fish tastes wonderful as well, it's freshly fried to order with nothing sitting around even for a minute, but anyway as I was saying) you can even watch a video of the Scottish fishing industry as your appetite is whetted almost to breaking point! That's the sort of attention to detail that marks this place out from the rest. It's like going into a restaurant famed for its bacon and gammon steaks, and watching Babe while you wait. Truly a wonderful touch. And as I said, the fish and chips are scrumptious, the menu is full of interesting (if ultimately pointless) alternatives... it's just a delight.

How much you say?  I'll level with you, folks - it's been about six months since I was last in Anstruther, and although, of course, while there I had a fish supper, I honestly can't remember how much I paid for it. Given the fact that I seemingly went into post-traumatic shock after my chippie partner ordered the most ghastly concoction known to man - mushy peas - as a side order, it's quite possible I gave the lady at the till the entire contents of my wallet, including my Abbey National Action Savers Club Card, although as I said I can't remember. NB:That such a substance is available at all almost made me avoid all mention of Anstruther on the blog, although given it's already high popularity, with 2 hour-waits not uncommon at all, I felt it better to warn you rather than to leave you in blind ignorance. Complimentary water is, of course, an irrelevance at a chippie such as this one - everyone knows that only a beverage served in a glass bottle, like Irn Bru, red cola or limeade is a suitable accompaniment to a supper, on taste grounds alone. A little known fact, however, (at least until now) is that there exists sound medicinal reasoning for this as well, for only in such aforementioned beverages is their sufficient quantities of 'girders' to completely clear the arteries of the grease content found in an exquisite fresh fish supper.

And on what occasion? Unless you're a hardcore fish and chips man like Dave from Dunfermline (see the website), you probably aren't going to come all this way just for a supper. I understand. And anyway, there's a place far closer to home which should meet your needs in the speciality fish and chips area, which I'll mention in a later post. But when you are planning on being in the Kingdom, it's worth a detour whoever you're accompanied by, whether it be to take out your suppers and eat them in what is, after all, the correct manner - ie in the car, while sitting on the aforementioned short wall or park bench with view of the sea, or to be 'a bit posh' and eat in, which if you're out to impress or it's blowing a gale may be the most viable option. Wine is available for the purpose should you so desire it so it's just about special enough, but be warned you'll still look conspicuous in black tie - it may be the Cartier of chippies but it's still a chippie. I know for a fact that girlfriends who have a 'moderation' approach to healthy eating, and particularly friends from abroad will absolutely love everything about the Anstruther, especially the traditional sweetie shop (soor plooms etc) and ice cream parlour which is at the far end of the restaurant. Out of town, as I've said before, is always the way to go if you have some time, and the drive back down to Edinburgh from here is a particular beauty at the right time of day - catch the sun as it's coming down and see God at His majestic creative best.

And I could combine it with? A trip to St Andrews is a must.... where else can you walk across the most famous bridge in all of golf (the Swilken) one minute and recreate the famous pose of your favourite blog contributor the next? Park at the Old Course Hotel, and head up adjacent to the 18th, stop to reflect and give thanks at the Martyr's Monument and then head to the Castle, where you'll find the aforementioned Knox exhibit amongst other things. And yes, the rumours are true... Knoxy speaks! But to find out what he says, you'll have to go yourself. Said things include an incredible, labyrinthine (love using that word, for once I'm actually justified in doing so) network of tunnels, the history of which would make a fascinating blog post in its own right. Maybe from one of the other skilled wordsmiths on the wonderful Index 'core team'?

Phew, there's that then. Look out for more Fugit soon, and possibly some other disposable pap too.

I remain, as the great man himself says, your humble fabulist

DC

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