Clapham Calling

Hello welcome to Clapham Calling

Hello my name is Jonathan Gardner I am a 38 year old Irish/Australian married to Abigail (Pegington) since 1996 and Father of three boys Caleb, Jacob and Micah. I am also a Pastor of a mostly black Baptist Church in London (Courland Grove Baptist Church SW8 2PX). This is an account of my life since my response to Clapham calling. Please leave comments, add me as a facebook  friend or join me on twitter.

Glorify God and enjoy him forever!

Recycling junk

I just found my old blog and thought I would send some of the old stuff over here!

From my old blog Events at a funeral

Last week I took my second West Indian funeral. I thought after all that happened at my first funeral the next would be less eventful.

As I waited for the coffin to arrive at the Church a phone call came to say that the horse drawn coffin was running 20 mins. late. I knew this would have a knock on effect to our very tight time frame. It would turn out not to be a problem at all. The service went well and we managed to keep everything going including the viewing. Until that is another phone call this time from the cemetery to say that as they were digging the grave a water pipe was hit and the hole was rapidly filling with water. It wasn't to be a burial at sea so a new grave had to be dug this meant there was no rush for us to get there in fact they wanted us to go slowly.

Once there I wanted to use the toilet but as I tried to unlock the door it wouldn't open. No matter what I tried nothing worked. I did have my mobile so I thought that I could ring Abigail and ask her to look up the telephone number of the cemetery on the Internet then I could give them a call to say I was stuck in their toilet. I prayed and tried the lock one last time, it worked, what relief!

At the graveside, just before the committal (that Pastor Paul Read was going to do) the funeral director came to me and said "we must release the doves now" I replied "what doves?" It turned out that the family had arranged for three doves to be released but they didn't tell us. As it was getting dark and cold the doves might have refused to fly off. They did but took a very short flight path back to their boxes. Then hail fell hard for 15 minutes, long enough to soak me right through. At the reception there was industrial sized heaters that I warmed myself on. In five minutes my suit was dry but steam poured out as though I was on fire. As I sat down at the table a plate of curried goat arrived in front of me. Being a Pastor means you don't have to queue for food - I can cope with that, just.

January 30, 2008

As I waited for the coffin to arrive at the Church a phone call came to say that the horse drawn coffin was running 20 mins. late. I knew this would have a knock on effect to our very tight time frame. It would turn out not to be a problem at all. The service went well and we managed to keep everything going including the viewing. Until that is another phone call this time from the cemetery to say that as they were digging the grave a water pipe was hit and the hole was rapidly filling with water. It wasn't to be a burial at sea so a new grave had to be dug this meant there was no rush for us to get there in fact they wanted us to go slowly.

Once there I wanted to use the toilet but as I tried to unlock the door it wouldn't open. No matter what I tried nothing worked. I did have my mobile so I thought that I could ring Abigail and ask her to look up the telephone number of the cemetery on the Internet then I could give them a call to say I was stuck in their toilet. I prayed and tried the lock one last time, it worked, what relief!

At the graveside, just before the committal (that Pastor Paul Read was going to do) the funeral director came to me and said "we must release the doves now" I replied "what doves?" It turned out that the family had arranged for three doves to be released but they didn't tell us. As it was getting dark and cold the doves might have refused to fly off. They did but took a very short flight path back to their boxes. Then hail fell hard for 15 minutes, long enough to soak me right through. At the reception there was industrial sized heaters that I warmed myself on. In five minutes my suit was dry but steam poured out as though I was on fire. As I sat down at the table a plate of curried goat arrived in front of me. Being a Pastor means you don't have to queue for food - I can cope with that, just.

Meanwhile over at twitter..

@JohnPiperWho's doing the work? “Work out your salvation, for it is God who works in you, to will and to do his pleasure” Phil 2:12-13

Jamie Oliver's Recipease

Not far from us, down the Northcote Road (which is painfully trendy and where only the beautiful people are allowed to walk.) Jamie Oliver has opened Recipease. It has a great looking interior and is stocked to the brim with everything that represents brand Jamie or Jme as the logo reads - you can have a hot water bottle and an eye mask right through to "Real" Tomato Ketchup. I absolutely loved the aesthetics of everything.  The Spencer squirrel nutcracker is a triumph or form, function and fun.

However at the till I noticed the Jamie Magazine, there were a number of issues each with a cheery photo of our eponymous hero. I asked the guy behind the till if every issue had a picture of JO on them he said "of course it is his magazine". It does make sense of course but I asked is there no sense of self effacement "not at all why should there be?" I explained that I would never want to subject the public to endless images of myself and then I asked the till operator would he want the same he said "yes if I had the same life's accomplishments and success." I pressed the point a bit and said "where does being humble and humility come into it" He said with great magnanimity JO had proven the possesion of this characteristic by way of his school dinner project and the fifthteen restaurants. So I realised I should never had raised this question here of all places and sculked out the door to eat Humble Pie not branded Jme but JG.

 

James 4:6  "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

One more time

Ok I am sure I have said this many times before but I am giving this blog some much needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. I have the defib. out so lets charge it up and spring this back to life.

 I admit it I have been lured away by facebook and twitter - its just that a blog is more of a singular - solo endeavour, social networking sites are better for interaction. So as with all my previous efforts this blog is going to have have all manner of things in it about my family our Church and those things on the internet that really grab my attention from what really is a sea of mediocrity. 

Here we go again.

 

We had a lovely relaxing family holiday in Holland and Belgium

 

 

On Holiday

I am now on Holiday until 2nd August. This blog has suffered because I just haven't had the time for it. I hope to get back to it with details of our adventure to Holland and then Belgium.

I need a break too - but not that type!

I was in charge of picking up Caleb from school on Monday. I had hoped by taking Jacob and Micah with me it would mean Abigail could have some much needed time to herself, it wasn't to be. I was trying to keep an eye all 3 at once. I made the mistake of allowing Caleb to go to the other school playground by himself. He got onto the monkey bars but fell off them awkwardly and landed hard hitting his head and as it turns out breaking his left arm in two places.

 

All the mothers rallied round us to help. I couldn't think straight but managed to focus enough to hear them all say to not take him to

St. Thomas

but St, George. It turned out that we should have stuck with the saint we knew best.

 

Caleb was very nervous because he had to go to the theatre to have his bones manipulated into the right place. The small op went ok and he seems to be recovering well. We picked them both up and they are exhausted. Abigail slept beside Caleb much to his relief but woke her up at

5.30am

.

 

He must have his arm in a cast for 4 weeks and we are on holiday in 3 weeks time so sadly he will not be able to do any swimming at the seaside or centre parcs.

 

 

I want to thank Lee and Sandy for baby sitting so I could get to the hospital. My mother for looking after the boys so I could take a funeral of a baby today and all friends and family who prayed for us. God is indeed good!

 

Life is never dull.

 

 

Here are some pictures while waiting to bring the patient home. They are from my phone hence the poor quality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

In a hospital who are the most conservative theologically? The Ultra Sound people!

Rev. Jesse Jackson doing a Dr. Martin Luther King when commenting on Barack Obama