FALL!

BRRRRR…..

(Need I say more?)

Visited a Church of Scotland institution this morning for worship—High Hilton Church. It is one of the more evangelical ones in the denomination. And quite international; apart from the fact that various ethnicities were represented, the sermon was delivered by a visiting pastor from Malawi (and just as he was ploughing his way through Isaiah, the poor guy’s cell phone went off—a preacher’s nightmare! Needless to say our man was mortified and never fully recovered from that tailspin!)

The fellow PG student who gave me a ride to church knew the minister, so the two of us managed to wrangle ourselves an invitation to Rev. Peter Dickson’s house for lunch. Peter and Eleanor are a delightful couple in their mid-thirties with two children, 10 and 11. Eleanor, believe it or not, has a Ph.D. in—of all things—immunology! So we hit off quite well! Plus, she makes a fabulous cheesecake. For those of you connoisseurs of that gastronomic pièce de résistance, this was a “bramble” (i.e., blackberry) cheesecake. The good folks out here don’t seem particularly concerned about calories, so this outstanding creation by Mrs. Dickson was served with ice-cream and (yes, “AND”) double cream (the British version of HEAAAVVVY whipping cream). Of course, I had two slices, washed down with a quart of the aforementioned lethal diary products. (I’ll die soon, but—hey!—I’ll die happy!)

Oh, and this you gotta hear to believe, and even then it will strain the limits of your credibility! I ran into another Indian in the church this morning. Another Keralite (from Kerala, my home state). Another physician—an endocrinologist. And—get this!—he’s related to me! My grandfather and his great-grandmother were siblings, which makes me, essentially, his uncle. I tell you, this is a small world!

Between the bramble concoction and stumbling upon my long-lost nephew, I think God is telling me to stick with High Hilton Church! ;-)

On the academic side, I had my first meeting with Prof. Watson last week; it went well and we are scheduled for another this week. He’s very amicable and indubitably well-versed in the field, with a comprehensive grasp of the relevant (and even the not so relevant) literature; I think I’m going to enjoy working with him.

God’s provision has been evident every step of the way. Friends, church, studies, …. He has yet to fail me! Therefore, I boldly trust Him for the future. Let us all do so—He’s worthy of our trust!

The steadfast of mind
You will keep in perfect peace,
Because (s)he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORD,
we have an everlasting Rock.

Isaiah 26:3–4