Christmas dinner

Sorry I've not posted much lately.  I got focused on posting at Twitter/Facebook and have been busy with Christmas.  Here's a picture of the table Sheila set up for us for Christmas dinner.  It was amazing!

The winter solstice

We are really looking forward to the winter solstice this year!  It's this Sunday.  In England today, sunup was at 8:06 a.m. and sundown was at 3:55 p.m.  The sun hardly gets above the horizon - you drive around with the sun in your eyes all day.  You really make an effort to get out in the sun whenever you can, too.  The last two days, we have had sun and Sheila's been going out for long walks.  But you have to get a move on, or the sun will be down before you know it.  Of course, it's fun.  I don't think the long nights are bothering us that much right now.  We'll see how we do over the next few months! :-)

A delightful visit

Today the door bell rang and a young man told me that his father used to live here.  He hoped that his family might see the place.  It was one of Douglas Gresham's sons.  We had a delightful visit.  I lead them through the house and Sheila fixed us tea.  We were so glad we were here to welcome and befriend them.  I'm sure it was a very meaningful time for them - to be able to walk through the house, remember family stories, and to see pictures of their loved ones on the walls.  God bless them.

A London encounter

When Sheila and I got on an elevator at a tube station in London last week, I stood beside a young man holding a walking stick that had an engraved head of Sherlock Holmes on top. I asked him if he had gotten it from the shop on Baker Street and then proceeded to talk to him about what I had found there years ago. One thing lead to another and we got into a conversation about religion. He is a Mormon who has recently fallen out with Mormonism and has just finished the Alpha Course. He wanted to talk to me more about Christianity and C. S. Lewis. I gave him my card and asked him to drop by when he was in Oxford.

This evening, while I was finishing up a tour, he called and asked if he could come by. I consented, though it was going to take him forever because of the time of day and Oxford traffic. Nevertheless, he finally arrived and we had a fairly intense conversation for an hour and a half. He was born in Hong Kong but now lives in Australia. He works with young people and wants to do trauma counseling. He also plans, at this point, to be baptized in a Baptist church when he gets home. This young man needs prayer that he will have a clear mind concerning Christianity and a confident faith in our Lord. He needs some good direction in his Bible study and some good Christian friendships. Lets pray that the Word will continue to take root and he will gladly walk the narrow road to heaven.

Winding down to Christmas

David here. Today is our son's birthday and it's getting close to Christmas, so I planned a few special things for Sheila to keep her spirits up. We went to London for a couple of days to see a performance of Wind in the willows, which was fun, and a performance at St. Martin in the Fields of J. S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio. While at the concert, we sat with a lady named Chandra who is from Oklahoma. She and her husband, a Texan, recently received permanent residency because of her husband's specialized computer work. She took the picture of us which you see here.

Intermission during a performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio at St. Martin in the Fields church, London.

No, we have not seen the Hobbit movie yet! But we did walk through the square and past the theatre where the premier was shown - they still have the display on the theatre itself.

Misc.: The work on the new shower here in the house is just about done. I am going to finish some of the work to save money. We'll be keeping our ears to the ground to see if there are any other lonely Americans this Christmas that may need some company. I still have about 4 months before I speak to the Oxford Univ. C. S. Lewis Society, but I've a lot to do. I also hope to have my book of prayers based on the Thirty-Nine Articles published in the near future. I would appreciate prayer about that. We pray for you all and miss you bunches!

A Hymn for Workers

My Master, teach me all the joy
That comes to hearts that see
How every busy hour's employ
May all be work for Thee.

Whate'er demands my toil, my skill,
My active thought and hand,
It is my Saviour's business still,
And wrought at His command.

Then let me do the daily task
With free and happy speed,
As one who hears His sweet Voice ask
My service for His need.

And let me sing an inward song
To think, with holy pride
In Nazatreth's home how oft, how long,
His working Hands He plied.

For still the Lord, who labour'd thus,
True toil delights to bless;
He lives and moves all day with us
Amid the stir and stress.

And what an hour 'twill be above
When comes the bright reward,
The wages of eternal love
For servants of the Lord!

Bishop H.C.G. Moule

odds and ends

We continue to have work done to replace the shower - a window was found behind the old one, and we are going to restore its use.

Sheila baked 4 cakes this weekend for our neighbourhood party tonight (well, it was supposed to be 3, but almond flour doesn't work so well in the AGA). She's worn herself out. Thankfully, she can rest tomorrow. On Thursday, we head off to London for a couple of days. That will be good for her.

I drove into town today to have lunch with Richard Turnbull, former president of Wycliffe Hall. We had a mutually energizing conversation.

The guests arrive in a few minutes, but I had to share this and the poem I'm about to post. God bless you, gentle reader! :-)

Christmas thank-yous

Sheila is writing thank-yous on Christmas paper, sitting at Lewis' desk in the "common room" of the Kilns. There is a lot of correspondence to do with this job!

Christmas Party

A short video of the local C. S. Lewis Society Christmas party in the library of the Kilns last night. You'll note Sheila making an appearance toward the end! And yes, that's Walter Hooper in the chair, along with Aiden Mackie, a Chesterton scholar.

Holiday Cooking

Sheila by the Aga stove in the Kiln's kitchen today.

 Last week's Thanksgiving celebration with some fellow Americans went over really well.  Now we get ready for some Christmas entertaining.  It's a tradition that the local C. S. Lewis Society has their Christmas party here at Lewis' house each year.  The party is tomorrow night.  There will be close to 40 people here.  While Sheila's cooking today, I'll be spending time inviting folks to a neighbourhood Christmas desert next Monday evening. 

Sheila has decorated parts of the house for our Christmas events.  This is the fireplace in the library.  The library is not an original part of the house.  It is a brilliant conversion of a previous 2-car garage built here by some folks who bought the house after the Lewis brothers had both passed away.

In the meantime, I've been mediating efforts to get the shower replaced.  Starting Wednesday, we'll have workers tearing out the old and building back the new.  They hope to be done by Friday evening.  We'll see!