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Mother’s Milk, MacIntyre Coffee, New Row Coffee, God Word that Keeps Us from Falling
Some weeks, the weight and yet otherness of people’s existence presses insistently upon one’s own consciousness – exciting it, almost overwhelming it. A disjointed account follows:
Met a bunch of coffee folk from Malaysia at Mother’s Milk Coffee (12 Little Portland Street, London, W1W 8BJ). We chatted about the scene in Kuala Lumpur and in Singapore – current state and future plans. I tried to explain what I was doing in London and why I was reading a book on sex. A strange otherness. Meanwhile, the boys attempted some form of continuous pour latte art. That’s the sort of place Mother’s Milk is – small, cosy, informal, with self-deprecation by the milk jug-ful, serving Kaffee Kommune‘s Odyssee Espresso (70% Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Worka, 30% Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Adado) like a blueberry burst.
The interior of MacIntyre Coffee (facebook, 13-21 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6NL) was an exercise in practical plywood simplicity. Ceremony Coffee, I think, but was too busy reading to remember. :-(. Grabbed a few whisky bottles of Sandow’s Cold Brew Coffee Guatemalan savoury goodness (very Brand’s chicken essence-y!) for friends at the upcoming sunny weekend away. Regulars came and gave updates on how their days were going. The otherness of lives shared, yet not quite.
Made surprisingly fast friends with some of the other attendees at the Oakhill Theological College Open House – long chats about life with God as we walked the grounds and had lunch in the canteen before they gave me a lift to town. Read in New Row Coffee (24 New Row, London, WC2N 4LA) before going to dinner with some folk from Word Alive 2014 who were down from the north for a conference. We talked about the situation in Beijing and Shanghai, how the statistics of Christian growth in China did not and could not show the numbers who though claiming faith, had no concept of the gospel, nor others who, for lack of good teaching, had started to put their trust in everything other than Jesus.
One person at the hotpot dinner was going out to a Chinese city, fairly sure that she would not see her loved ones in this life again, but trusting that her priority must be God’s priority – the glorification of his Son Jesus and the growth of Jesus’ kingdom. For her, there was neither the cowardice of hiding behind familial excuses, nor the blind fanaticism of youth, but a cool weighing of costs, and a considering that there is nothing more important in this world than to do God’s will by teaching his Word to people to convict them of the truth and keep them safe.
What strange dissonance too in having a brother round for a meal before he left for a country in Africa, both of us aware that he might soon be an article in the Barnabas Fund newsletter. How strange to lope across London Bridge with Curate, chattering on about mundane things, yet realising the ultimate futility of placing any value on the things of the world as the setting sun brought us a day closer to the inevitable persecution that must accompany the proclamation of gospel (see the Book of Acts, amongst others) and also the day of Christ’s return (see 2 Peter, also amongst many other books in the Bible!).
In the meantime, there is the weight of the fallenness of this world: being told how a brother in Singapore was caught scheming to commit adultery; one day, being at Fabrique Bakery (Arch 385, Geffrye Street, Hoxton) with a friend, feeling the weight of my mate’s depression brought on by burden of responsibility trying to help victims of atrocities that might not even have made the news anywhere – the helplessness of a human trying to play God. The weirdness of sharing the last bits of a very excellent cinnamon bun while talking about this. And just a fortnight ago, consoling someone whose best friend and beloved grandfather were both diagnosed with cancer just before her exams, and urging her not, in her distress, to distrust that God is both in control, and good and loving.
Read Romans with two different people on successive Sundays, as we sat in the sunshine at Peloton & Co Cycle Cafe, persuading them from Scripture of God’s sovereignty, and exhorting them to honour God by letting God be God; not presuming that we knew better than he, praying that they would not fall. Then today, one of them met with a bad accident at work. Oh Father, will she remember your promises and not stumble.
After dinner last night, two housemates and I were discussing the so-called evangelical emphasis on Scripture. The people who scoff at this as academic and only for the intellectuals should be locked up as traitors. What unspeakable sabotage is performed when sheep are dissuaded or prevented from hearing the voice of their Shepherd and so wander off cliffs or fall prey to wolves. How deceitful to encourage these vulnerable ones to stumble about in darkness by withholding God’s word that God meant as a lamp to their feet and a light to their paths.
London Coffee Festival 2014
Tickets to the London Coffee Festival 2014 were going for £11.50 (the best price with various discount codes was 2 tickets for £20). Probably not a good use of money, I thought, then promptly won a bid on ebay for a pair for £0.99. Score, TG.
The days were split into three three-hour sessions, but the queue to get in meant a later start time (though an improvement on last year’s 45-minute wait). The one we were in stretched all the way to Spitalfields until some marshalls snaked us round a back street:
Inside the building, it was lively, with blaring music and shouting hipsters. Friends and i thought it too commercialised though – very few coffees for complimentary tasting, most charging £1-2 per cup. The True Artisan Café section brought together several independent cafés, selling coffee at more-or-less usual prices. “Why bother queuing and pushing through crowds for this, when i could just visit these coffeshops at my leisure?” pouted one person:
What is the goal of a coffee festival? To educate the palates of coffee-lovers and convert non-coffee-lovers? To showcase products? Just a trade show? If i had to organise one, the emphasis would be on education; to raise the standard of coffee-making and appreciation amongst the general public and in that way, bringing greater enjoyment of the good (though fallen) creation in which we live.
Union Hand-roasted Coffee had regular roasting demonstrations beside their cafe/shop:
And the cupping challenge (find the odd one out) was fascinating, though we had to purposefully get one of the guys to talk us through the cups after:
The Make Decent Coffee Lounge was fun as usual because we got to compare drinks from the same beans made by different brewing methods, though the more scientifically picky might point out that there would be far too many variables in the mix:
Interesting sampling at the Ethiopian coffee booth (not the usual Yirg and Sidamo), though sad to have missed Roundsquare Roastery‘s whisky cask coffee:
Stopped to look at gadgets too of course, and contemplated home-roasting with a Hottop Drum Roaster, grinding with Hausgrind‘s handmade mills, and made my first rather horrid latte-art at the Sage Coffee Machine booth:
Sobering to think though that God isn’t glorified through our mere enjoyment of creation but our acknowledgement of him as Creator and Lord over all:
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1)
Word Alive 2014 (Pontin’s Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park, Prestatyn, Wales)
Just back from working at Word Alive 2014 and recovering from crazy road-tripping all the way from London to Wales with a good bunch of people. The conference was great – love how big Christian meetings are a small slice of heaven when the attention is not on the musicians or big name preacher celebrities, but on God.
When i managed to nip out for a bit, hurried along to Don Carson on Jeremiah and Mike Ovey on human duties and divine rights. Stretching stuff:
Joined the gospel choir with some others for a lark, to blow off some steam:
And on some free afternoons, gorgeous blue-sky-and-sunshine weather meant loads of walks around the campsite with friends new and old, hanging out by the beach (roommate claimed to have spotted a seal) and lining up for the ice-cream van:
Also, much chatting in the sun and skate-scootering, and as the sun set and when the children were safely away, jumping around/sliding and bouncing down inflatables, and cricket on the grass (or the more competitive games run by Christians In Sport):
The evenings (and flat-roofed buildings) were best for hide-and-seek and/or Lions (or P):
Post-evening celebrations, the After Hours entertainment was something to look forward to as well – Stuart Townend in the Lunar Bar (was late for his set thanks to a particularly fierce discussion a roommate and i were having about humans being made in the image of God) and a ceilidh on the last night (“Christian speed-dating” sniffed the Camera Man before heading for drinks. Camera Man was glad to be proved right when a serious conversation was interrupted at the sight of an Irish friend snogging a girl on the dancefloor):
meanwhile, in the Team Lounge, i felt there was something i wasn’t quite getting
Being on team with people on the “evangelical” spectrum, who were practically from different theological backgrounds, was good for considering which aspects of what i am accustomed to do is necessary for Christian salvation and growth and therefore non-negotiable, and which merely a matter of preference/church culture. As people grow longer in the teeth, they can be observed either to cling on to their usual practice and call themselves conservative, or jettison the old in favour of keeping up with the times. Neither, i’d think, demonstrates faithfulness to God. There needs to be a constant reviewing of human practice against Scripture.
Room-mate and i had several discussions about what we had observed this week. These, i think, according to what i understand of the Bible, should be true of all true gospel ministry in all contexts:
- the authority of God’s word found in Scripture (see Timothy Ward’s Words of Life for the Scriptural basis (!) for this). This means preaching from the Bible, not from personal experiences. Otherwise, human experience is the authority, not God. Often, the explanation for majoring on personal stories is that it is more inspiring and perhaps more relevant for certain cultures. But this then presents the preacher’s experiences as normative for the Christian life and fundamentally, demonstrates a lack of trust in God that his word will do what he says it will do.
- expository preaching. This follows from the first point. When preachers neglect to do this, there is nothing to check the sinful human tendency to drift towards man-centredness and working for salvation. Of course there is a place for topical preaching, but the systematic theology necessarily flows from the initial hard work of expository exegesis.
- primary indicator of success would then the faithful proclamation of the word. In discussing the past day in team meetings, the general gauge of groups seemed to be whether people were sharing their problems at an intimate level. But we are not running a counselling course; we should be doing a far more important work in getting God’s truth into God’s people and in doing so, trusting that the Spirit will work in their minds and hearts in a far more radical way. Working on Bible passages is not “theory” that should be jettisoned in favour of horror stories of Chinese fathers and circumstances that would plump up missionary biographies – this is the very word of God to us – to be understood and then obeyed.
In other news, some were disappointed not to find 10ofthose onsite this year. But really, without IVP books, we would have been denied the pleasure of these Francine Rivers covers, and trying to persuade unsuspecting teenaged boys that they would be great books to be seen reading.
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The venue, Pontin’s Prestatyn Sands Holiday Park, famously resembles a prison camp. But we grew fond of the utilitarian structures and rooms, and of course, Graham Daniels made a great many jokes about sliding off beds at 2 a.m. and trying to figure out if the shower tub thing was a bidet or a sink.
Electricity by electrocard (how quaint!) – worth keeping an eye on it unless you want the adventure of the hot water cutting out in the middle of a shower in that shower tub thing. Additional cards can be obtained from the Reception Office, or when it is closed for the day – brave the cold with soap suds in your hair and leggit to the guardhouse at the entrance to the venue.
Plates, mugs, glasses, utensils provided. But bring your own handwash, dishwashing detergent, sponge, toilet paper, towels…and oven mitts, but of course hamburger buns do the job just as well…
Grocery supplies (Tesco, Poundland, Marks & Spencer, Iceland etc) are just a 10 minute walk away in the Prestatyn town centre:
If half-board is on the cards, the fried food at the main canteen, The Beechcombers Restaurant, is especially tasty:
Best to bring own coffee supplies. Kingdom Coffee‘s pop-up in Casey’s Whistle Stop is a viable alternative:
Fantastic Flat Whites and The Church
Ah, the effect of sunshine and spring on the tastebuds or perhaps merely a happy run of good coffee joints in the last few weeks. Or both.
Craft Coffee (68 Sclater Street, Shoreditch, London E1 6HR)
Beans: Notes Burundi Buziraguhindwa
Milk: Northiam Dairy
Caravan Coffee Kings Cross (Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA)
Beans: Caravan Market Blend (Fazenda Ouro Verde, Brazil (Pulped Natural), La Marianela, Colombia (Fully Washed)?)
Julius Meinl Poetry Cafe Pop-up (Old Truman Brewery, Shoreditch, London)
Beans: Julius Meinl Tanzania Limited Edition
This is the cheapest tasty flat white I’ve had…and also the most I’ve been paid for doggerel! Almost Yirgacheffe-like.
Black Sheep Coffee Mobile Espresso (Vibe Bar, 91-95 Brick Lane, London)
Beans: Black Sheep Coffee Eye Opener Double Caffeine Espresso (100% robusta! Indian Kaapi Royale Mandarin)
Machine: Nuova Simonelli Appia II Compact
This standout flattie was a 100% robusta from India in very smooth milk. Light on the tongue with orange-chocolate fragrance.
Overly-stretched (haha) metaphor or not, have been thinking lots about the human equivalent of coffee beans, milk, espresso machines. Like the constituents of a flat white, the church too is made up of different raw materials. But I suspect we don’t quite put as much effort in getting the best out of each person’s God-given gifts as indie coffeeshops obsess about their beans, milk, and coffee.
Church leaderships always moan that 20% of the congregation does 80% of the work, and complain about the rest being consumers but perhaps it is the leaders that have caused this state of affairs by choosing to focus their attention only on those with gifts that their particular church values as important – some go gaga over musical talent, others over intellectual clout, others over positions of influence in society.
But if as a church, we are a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a chosen race, living stones being built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2); if we are all parts of the body of Christ with each member needing to play their unique part (1 Corinthians 12), then leaders need to ensure that each stone/part is strong in faith and godly.
“Oh,” says the senior pastor,”I need to train up leaders, so I’ll concentrate only on “Blokes Worth Watching”. Someone else will do it.”
“Oh,” says the Bible study leader in a reformed church,”I need to train up potential Bible study leaders. Remember, Jesus gathered only 12 disciples around him. Someone else will do it.”
And so the congregation sees only the meritocratic hierarchy that they need to climb to be of any value to the church (and so they think, to God). What a waste of talent. What severe amputations of the rest of the body. What a tragic throwing away of so many lives.
(For the avoidance of doubt, this is no reflection on the present Local Church since the Rector is quite diversified in his 121s, nor is it a personal gripe – since i am more than adequately employed and looked after there.)
The dear receptionist, seeing that the cook and i were severely exhausted from a full week of A Passion For Life events, bought us both coffees from Curators Coffee (9 Cullum Street, City of London) and Association Coffee (10-12 Creechurch Lane, City of London). My Nude Espresso Kenyan Gatomboya from Curators was a nicely savoury creamsicle. A good caffeine hug from another bit of the body.
The Wren Coffee, Expectations, Cognitive Bias
There’s a new church cafe open at St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, 114 Queen Victoria Street. Unlike the dismal experience at most such places where the ordering of a drink feels more a donation to charity than something you might actually want to purchase, the flat whites I’ve had so far at The Wren Coffee Shop (facebook) have been excellent. Bright on first sip but mellow stone fruits in a chocolate cake after (i think). Possibly better than the Cult of Done flattie sampled at Workshop Coffee‘s own. (Ah, but would this subjective assessment stem from aforementioned low expectations of church cafes?) There’s also the promise of lunchtime talks (The St. Nicks Talks) at the ZRP Architects-refurbished venue.
Bean: Workshop Cult of Done (50% Mahembe, Rwanda; 50% Fince la Esperanza, Guatemala)
Machine: La Marzocco
Expectations are a funny thing – on one hand, they are a form of wisdom – something learned from experience (so one wouldn’t normally order a flat white in a church building expecting anything more than a bitter brew); on the other hand, they may stop you from making objective observations of the new situation.
Have had several intense conversations over the last few days concerning people’s expectations upon encountering:
- an evangelical church – those from what they term “charismatic” backgrounds expect that it’ll be all sin, no grace, by which many mean lack of positive affirmation;
- an evangelical church in the Church of England tradition – those from what they term “reformed” backgrounds expect any church tradition to teach some form of transubstantiation and so take umbrage at some wording of the Anglican Giving of Communion; and
- an evangelical church in the Anglican tradition, specifically the Local Church – taking particular offence to any mention of the English Standard Version of the Bible, homosexuality, male leadership etc.
belated Pancake Day brunch at MQ’s
The slant of their thoughts (like the precariously balanced blueberry pancakes above) meant every little detail was latched upon as rich pickings for their little confirmation bias baskets. How then to deal with this sort of cognitive bias?
- It would be remarkably tedious to argue along political lines – that is, your religion vs my religion; your denomination against my denomination; your church vs my church. These sorts of arguments are generally of the straw man/Aunt Sally genre or might even be ad hominem etc thus lack any sort of nourishing substance.
- What about pointing out evidence of such bias? Usefulness of this method would, however, be dependent on the reaction of each individual to this revelation. Wanting to be co-operative, would he/she start to exhibit demand characteristics, and if so, what sort and how beneficial would that be for the person in question? Or would such observation add instead to his/her confirmation bias?
- By ignoring such evidence and proceeding as if ignorant? But surely this goes against the tenets of communication and of loving interaction.
- A fellow-worker advised that i shouldn’t teach whatever makes people feel uncomfortable. However, (i) one can never predict the myriad cognitive biases that may occur in any group; (ii) the role and in fact, the responsibility, of the teacher is to teach the full counsel of God* (cf Acts 20:27).
i suspect the most reasonable route would be to (i) give biblical basis (book and verse) for everything i say; (ii) invite discussion based on interpretations of such. If there is a common regard for Scripture as solely authoritative for life and doctrine, then there should be mutual submission to what is clear from God’s word. While my attitude should be polite and as loving as possible (Jew to Jews?), to shrink from the important duty of keeping watch over their souls (Hebrews 13:17) so as to ensure that people will keep coming back would probably be both cowardly and detestable in the sight of God to whom we have to give an account.
feeding his sheep with lamb “tagine” with preserved lemons and green olives…
*D.A. Carson in his essay “Challenges for the Twenty-first-century Pulpit” in Preach the Word (via TGC) says:
When Paul attests that this is what he proclaimed to the believers in Ephesus, the Ephesian elders to whom he makes this bold asseveration know full well that he had managed this remarkable feat in only two and a half years. In other words, whatever else Paul did, he certainly did not manage to go through every verse of the Old Testament, line by line, with full-bore explanation. He simply did not have time.
What he must mean is that he taught the burden of the whole of God’s revelation, the balance of things, leaving nothing out that was of primary importance, never ducking the hard bits, helping believers to grasp the whole counsel of God that they themselves would become better equipped to read their Bibles intelligently, comprehensively. It embraced:
- God’s purposes in the history of redemption (truths to be believed and a God to be worshipped),
- an unpacking of human origin, fall, redemption, and destiny (a worldview that shapes all human understanding and a Saviour without whom there is no hope),
- the conduct expected of God’s people (commandments to be obeyed and wisdom to be pursued, both in our individual existence and in the community of the people of God), and
- the pledges of transforming power both in this life and in the life to come (promises to be trusted and hope to be anticipated).
plum tart with Danish pastry base for the poor hardworking temp housemate
O Glorious Maker of Coffee
Trying out Square Mile‘s Sweetshop Espresso on the ROK espresso-maker. Coffee continues to be a source of constant amazement. First, its manifold varieties and almost infinite espressions depending on varied permutations of treatment of the beans at every stage of the process from crop to cup. But also how it is representative of the wonder of God’s world: the coffea is but just one genus of flowering plant in the hundreds of thousands in this world (excluding those that have already become extinct), and plants are but just one branch (haha) in the whole creation. Think then of all the different sorts of creatures on land, under the ground, in the sea, in the air… Then think of mankind and the different ethnic backgrounds, personalities, experiences, thoughts…
More than the absolute delight at drinking and eating in a Victorian loo, I like the consistent cups at The Attendant Coffee (Downstairs, 27a Foley Street, London W1W 6DY). Took a birthday girl here – there was quite a bit of squealing and attempts at tweeting (technically, shouldn’t it be twit-ting or twittering? No reflection on the birthday girl though!).
Bean: Caravan Espresso
Milk: Ivy House Farm
Machine: La Marzocco
Lots of independent coffee shops and roasteries say they share the same ethos of respecting the beans, of taking care to roast and grind the stuff properly then it brew it at the right temperature and use the right milk at the right temperature in the right way. But sadly, it is a fallen world. And like many churches, good intentions only go so far – sometimes, there is the inability to understand what is needed to execute said intentions, and sometimes, someone down the line doesn’t get the memo.
The experience this academic year has been fairly mixed:
Nude Espresso (near Brick Lane, 26 Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR) was the first third wave/indie coffee shop I came upon in London and have always returned because the first barista I met was exceedingly nice and also sold me display copies of a V60 and Hario kettle for a discounted price. But I have not seen her since and unfortunately, the flat whites here have not been of a good standard. These last photos were taken only 10 minutes after I got the “flat whites”. The barista made one cup and divided it into two takeaway cups, then topped both with hot water. It was a strange watery brew.
Bean: Nude East Espresso Blend
We came upon Tapped and Packed Coffee (193 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 8ZF) while having a bit of a wander off Oxford Street. Excellent flat white – fruity chocolate.
Bean: TAP Jack of Spades Blend (40% Brazil Cruzeiro Natural, 60% Rwanda, Karengera)
Machine: Nuova Simonelli
Had high expectations for the Bulldog Edition at Ace Hotel (100 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JQ). Advertised as a partnership with James Hoffmann of Square Mile, I expected good things. But the drink was bitter – overextracted, suggest some Beanhunter reviewers. At least I now have a place near work to source for SM beans!
Bean: Square Mile Sweetshop Espresso
Machine: La Marzocco Strada
After a good session at The Fleet Street Talks, headed a few doors down to The Fleet Street Press (3 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1AU) to do some work. It was filled with lawyers chatting through ongoing cases and people with dog-collars giving encouraging advice. The flat white was excellent – slightly nutty and chocolatey, with good body.
Bean: Caravan The Press Espresso Blend (75% Coatepec Mexico; 25% La Marianella, Columbia)
Machine: La Marzocco
DunneFrankowski at Sharps Barber and Shop (9 Windmill St, London W1T 2JF) was another brand-name gig. The baristas were chatty to regulars, giving the whole place feeling of community – the stated objective of situating the coffee shop in a barber’s. Flat white was decently citrusy i think, though rather overwhelmed by the ham sandwich that accompanied it.
Bean: a Hasbean blend – can’t remember which one 😦
Machine: Oh my – a Kees van der Westen Spirit Triplette
Artigiano Espresso Bar (1 Paternoster Square, St Paul’s, London EC4M 7DX) was a pleasant surprise. It looked like a run-of-the-mill Italianate sandwich place you find in every square in the City. We needed a place to chat over Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians and this seemed a viable alternative to Starbucks. Good call. In the seasonal espresso hopper was a Burundi. Never tried one of those before. Juicy citrus on almost on the mouth-puckering end – very nice indeed for bright-coffee fiends.
Bean: Origin Burundi Buziraguhindwa Espresso
Machine: La Marzocco
The Good News that is the Gospel
After the excitement of lunchtime service and staff meeting (where there wasn’t anyone balancing a broom on his nose this time, but a bunch of people trying to explain, unsuccessfully, the Chinese mooncake festival), needed a flat white to calm down for our first study on Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Near the drycleaners was Curators Coffee Studio (9 Cullum St, London, EC3M 7JJ) who were hosting a Caravan-roasted Guatemalan guest espresso from Coop Rio Azul in the hopper. A double shot in a large milk yielded faint fruity flavours. The kind baristas then sent over a single shot in small milk but the taste was similarly delicate. Might try a double in small milk next go. Regardless, it was good to have caffeine around for Romans 1:1-17. There were two surprises in the text:
- that the gospel isn’t simply Two Ways To Live (although it encompasses that) – the gospel (“good news”) is that Jesus Christ is the Son of David and Son of God promised by God through the prophets through ages past (as set out in the Old Testament);
- that because (i) Son of David and Son of God promised by God is to be given authority over all of creation, and (ii) by the fact of his resurrection from the dead, Jesus has been proved to be this king, then:
- the gospel is for all nations because Jesus rules over the whole world; and
- the gospel isn’t just to convert people to Christianity – it continues to be good news for those who are already saved because it isn’t primarily about the salvation of humans but about the kingship of Christ and the glory of God. This is why Paul is eager to preach the gospel to the Romans, who were already known for their faith. He wasn’t planning on a Billy Graham crusade. Rather, he looked for the mutual encouragement that proclaiming the gospel would have for their obedience of faith in Jesus.
Evangelical Ministry Assembly 2013, More Flat Whites
On the last day of the Evangelical Ministry Assembly 2013, we said tearful goodbyes to the (mostly) African brothers and sisters, classmates for the past year, heading back to their countries, never expecting to see them again in this lifetime. “See you in the new creation,” we said as we hugged and waved.
A good few days of talks from Vaughan Roberts on 1 Peter and from Mark Dever,
but the subject of some discussion as we sat drinking tea and watching the dying bonfire in our backgarden (after the firemen had left) was Garry Williams’ talk on Augustine. In his City of God, Augustine says:
- there are only two cities: the earthly city and the city of God;
- the earthly city is not to be identified with any specific city in this world – it is merely where unregenerate men are;
- the earthly city is satanic (in the sense that it , not in a trite horror movie sense);
- both the earthly city and the city of God are driven by love: the city of God is driven by love of God and desire for his glory, the earthly city is driven by love of self and desire for self-glory;
- the earthly city lives a life of disordered love, sin being loving a good God-created thing wrongly;
- the earthly city is necessarily divided amongst itself because everyone is driven by the desire for self-glory;
- the earthly city ends in eternal death.
The implication of this is:
- there is no neutral ground, so citizens of the city of God should expect grave conflict. Whoever said that the state is neutral? If you get one sinner on stage, you have one sinner. Add another and you have two sinners. Add several more and you have a collection of sinners – they don’t suddenly become neutral. So do not drop your guard and share the values of the world;
- don’t pin your hopes on the earthly empire, but have eschatological restlessness. Do not mourn the passing of “Christian Britain” or “Christian America”. Use the things of the earthly empire for other ends, with the right priority of loves (love for God rather than love for self, or indeed love for husband or wife or children).
But, where is this earthly city? It is not “out there”; it is in us. In this life, even within the regenerate, there are the warring remnants of the earthly city. We do not do things with pure motives. Augustine goes into great detail about his contemporary struggles in his Confessions. As the Vandals (the tribe) surrounded Augustine’s north African city and as the Roman empire fell, Augustine lay dying in bed. He requested no visitors. He had 4 psalms of repentance copied and hung the walls around him and spent his last days repenting. Remember we are not justified by the sinlessness of our ministry but by the blood of Jesus, so keep coming back to him in repentance.
In considering using the things of this earthly empire for city-of-God good, we wondered about the place of good coffee and coffee joints…
Association Coffee (12 Creechurch Ln City of London, EC3A 5AY).
Workshop Coffee (27 Clerkenwell Road London, Greater London EC1M 5RN). Cult of Done Espresso = 100% Thunguri AB (Lot #0202), Kenya.
Salvation Jane (Unit 2, 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road, Shoreditch, EC1 Y1HQ). Someone’s very generous visiting parental bought us all lunch and coffees here.
Fernandez & Wells (Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA)
Look Mum No Hands! (49 Old Street, London EC1V 9HX).
Monmouth Coffee (2 Park Street, The Borough, London SE1 9AB) – not too fond of the dark roast tendencies here.
Jaguar Shoes (32-36 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London E2 8DA) – art, fashion, music, party space that doesn’t sell shoes.
Refreshment Room at The Deli Downstairs (211 Victoria Park Road, Victoria Park Village, London E9 7JN).
The Attendant Coffee Shop in a Victorian Loo
Almost bowled over Hugh Palmer of All Souls who happened to be ambling past as I rushed (alas for my miraculously accurate time-keeping so far this year, 20 minutes late!) to meet up with some folk from New Word Alive at The Attendant (Downstairs, 27a Foley Street, London W1W 6DY).
We didn’t quite get to catch up much because ex-Victorian loo aspect with its pretty urinals and later-addition hand-dryers made for good conversation with the strangers we were sharing the table with.
Conversation soon turned to the Christian faith. And I had a good chat with the nice chap sitting next to me about the historicity of the Bible, the fulfilment of Old Testament promises in Jesus, and the evidence for the death and resurrection of Jesus .
Caravan Coffee’s Finca la Fany x Ivy House Farm milk apparently. Was too distracted by discussion to pay much attention.
It had been a long day starting with setting up breakfast at 6.45 a.m., followed by Bible study for city workers at 7.45 a.m., a 121 on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, then talking with an American who thought I had a British accent, then working through Daniel 6 and 7 while the Mandarin ministry pastor sharing the room listened and critiqued a sermon given by another staff, and on to SLOB for Daniel 6 and 7, and a hastily gobbled lunch while reading the day’s Financial Times, working on a talk on Matthew 11, before talking to an apprentice who’d just been told he would not be staying on for another year…
Greatly enjoyed the discussion though, and was massively energised to chat more with one of the NWA folk as we went grocery shopping and then to go on to complete the day would end at around 10 p.m. with a Bible study on the Gospel of Mark.
London Coffee Festival 2013, and Suffering and Evil in Job
Rushed through Spitalfields just in time to meet friends waiting in the line for the London Coffee Festival 2013 (facebook), which snaked round a corner of the Old Truman Brewery and continued for a least 1km down Brick Lane. News that the organisers were still clearing the people from the previous time-slot prompted several Americans to demand a refund while the British continued to wait stoically in the drizzle.
Half an hour after the start of the ticketed time, we were in. Because this was London, individual stalls in the main hall were set up around a green open space, and there was a programme of live music acts for those resting from all the caffeine.
At the Brew Bar near the entrance, there was 360°‘s Bolivia Caravani (Mana-mana?) on Hario V60s. We tracked the beans down at the Make Decent Coffee room where you could taste test the same bean brewed using different methods – on the cafetiere, it was cloudy and slightly muddy; on the aeropress, its brightness was overwhelming; on the chemex, muted; and on the V60, relatively flavourful and full-bodied. An educational experience especially for my partner-in-crime (since i’d conducted similar experiments at home with the same equipment).
The coffee i enjoyed most, in milk, was Union Hand-roasted‘s Blend No. 1 (50% Guatemala Finca el Cascajal, 40% Nicaragua Finca la Argentina, 10% Kenya Kagumioni AB) – all caramel goodness versus the dark chocolate and berries of the alternative blend, Louie Mio (vague – 10% Vietnam, 50% Ethiopian Sidamo, 30% Brazil, 10% Honduras).
Of all the gear on display, was most interested in the Ikawa Roaster and Roast App for homeroasters, a lovely bench of Hario equipment (most of which i owned but left in Singapore), the tamper handles made of different woods, and the beautiful ROK Espresso maker.
The next day, in possibly the only sermon to mention the London Coffee Festival (but i could be wrong!), Andrew Sach of St. Helen’s Bishopsgate ended a very useful series on the Book of Job, having himself been greatly helped by Christopher Ash’s Out of the Storm.
“I won’t believe in God unless he can explain why there is evil in the world.” and “How can a good God allow suffering? A good God can’t, so the presence of pain proves that there isn’t a good God.” we say, and think ourselves very reasonable and intelligent. But the Book of Job scoffs that by this, we actually show that we know nothing at all, and in our arrogant foolishness even fail to realise that God is so much greater than us that we cannot expect to start to understand all that he does in his sovereignty.
Job 40-42:6
New International Version (NIV)
40 The Lord said to Job:
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 “Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?
41 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6 Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
9 Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,
its strength and its graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15 Its back has rows of shields
tightly sealed together;
16 each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19 Flames stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 Its breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.
22 Strength resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
24 Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they retreat before its thrashing.
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
27 Iron it treats like straw
and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee;
slingstones are like chaff to it.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal—
a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty;
it is king over all that are proud.”
42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
Some Flat Whites of Cambridge
As the Great Anglia train rattled through snowy fields up to Cambridge, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
The intention was to talk to various people about Singapore student work – to see how we could help each other (if at all) help Christian students to grow in love for God and people here and when they returned to Singapore; but I had no concrete plans how we might do this. Was certainly not keen on any sort of society or other formal organisation – we have far too many of those things and their hierarchies and inherent power structures and insistence on justifying their own existence long after the need for them has ceased to, I think, tend to (as one might expect of sinful humans, though thankfully, this might not always be) detract from God and gospel. There was no elitism in choosing to head to Cambridge after Oxford – it was just known to have a good concentration of Singapore students and a thriving biblical Christian community. Looked forward to hearing what the more experienced might have thought through already.
random photo of Corpus Christi College Chapel
Enjoyed a very good discussion over a home-cooked lunch before making it right on the hour for evening service at St. Andrew the Great (aka. STAG). Was pleased to have someone else, independently, question if there was really a need to emphasise home-going. The rationale for having separate international group bible studies has usually been (i) to address language difficulties; (ii) to address discomfort with the host culture; and (iii) to get internationals to think about applying Christian truths to their life when they got back home. My queries on reason (ii) have had to do with the unity of the church and loving all members of the body regardless of race or class or culture; and on reason (iii) – whether the emphasis should really be on faithful living in all situations whether single or married, student or working, in London or back in one’s own country, rather than attempting to apply every passage to future life the home country – because that would be too narrow a view of Christian living and might run the risk also of legalism.
Discussed this further with some international workers today. Still much to think about.
Was pleased too to find Cambridge to be in a better state, coffee-wise, to Durham:
At Hot Numbers Coffee (Unit 6, Dales Brewery, Gwydir Street, Cambridge. facebook), I had their house-roasted El Salvadorian Finca La Fani in a flat white. It was fairly well-made, though the milk was a bit stiff, with bright citrus acidity that punched you in the saliva glands. Wonder if it would have worked better straight up.
Didn’t expect much from the Brazilian-Ethiopian Climpson & Sons (possibly their 50% Ethiopian Sidamo and 50% Brasil Fazenda Paraiso Sidamo Espresso Blend?) flat white at Fitzbillies (51-52 Trumpington Street, Cambridge) – it looked like a pretty enough Cambridge institution to get by on the seat of its chelsea buns without serving up decent brew. But this was yummy hot cocoa in a cup. The milk was a bit weak but didn’t detract too much from its deliciousness.
The espresso beans at Massaro’s (85 Regent Street, Cambridge) were a house-blend delicately roasted by Has Bean Coffee. Very nice indeed.
The Flat Whites of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Brick Lane, Leather Lane, The Square Mile etc
Or: Where There Are Hipsters, There Will Be Third Wave Independent Specialty Coffee.
A few weeks ago, I was attempting to explain to someone why freshly ground specialty coffee was not just a hipster/posh thing but about being able, with some knowledge, to get more enjoyment from that raw product. She said she’d never heard of such a thing in her life. Another person said the same thing to me last week, but this was in relation to the sermon we had just heard on 1 Peter 5 at St. Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate:
She said she’d never in her church-going life heard that God had said that Christians were to suffer. Well, I said after we’d discussed this for a little while, this adds weight to the Bible not being something made up by man, because if you wanted to start a religion for personal profit and gain, you’d never say anything like this. The rest of the series on 1 Peter (“Don’t Be Surprised At The Fiery Trial“) is well worth a listen.
Coffee jaunts in London so far have been made to coincide with meet-ups with people or limited to times when the Associates’ study church (yes, they have the immense privilege of a whole church building set aside for their use) has been far too cold or dark to do any work in.
Many of the joints visited were within walking distance (up to an hour’s Londoner-pace walk, that is) of the Placement Church – in Shoreditch and Bethnal Green, Brick Lane, Leather Lane, within The Square Mile, and elsewhere.
Shoreditch/Bethnal Green
Leila’s Shop (facebook. 15-17 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, E2 7JP) couldn’t fit many people. So not a place to expect to sit and read undisturbed. Those who managed to score a seat chatted over cooked breakfasts/brunches and polish platters of cured meats, pickles, rye. The coffee was decent.
Fix 126 Coffee (126 Curtain Road, EC2A 3PJ). Climpson and Sons Fix 126 Blend (50% Malawi Msese District, 33% Guatemala Co-op, 17% Brazil Fazenda Paraiso Pulped Natural) on a La Marzocco. Fairly decent but with a very slight bitter (burnt?) aftertaste. Very chilled out cafe with strategically placed lights and power sockets:
Shoreditch Grind (facebook. 213 Old Street, Old Street Roundabout, Islington, EC1V 9NR). Communal tables with barstools along the circular edge. I remember this being a good flat white (probably, amongst other things, the espresso to milk volume thing?) but was otherwise occupied so could not chat more with the baristas about provenance etc.
Brick Lane
Brick Lane Coffee (157 Brick Lane, E1 6SB):
Kahaila Cafe (135 Brick Lane). The cakes were lovely and the coffee sacks and wooden crates seating arrangements nicely quaint. But the flat white was rather weak and watery. To be fair, they seem to be aiming to be more of a third place (“a church” they say), rather than a coffee joint per se.
full stop cafe (facebook. 202 Brick Lane). Eclectic choice of furniture to chill out on. Square Mile beans were well-taken care of, producing a delicious cup. La Marzocco:
Leather Lane
Department of Coffee and Social Affairs (facebook. 4-16 Leather Lane, EC1N 7SU). Art exhibitions, meeting rooms, “social hub”. A rotating roster of roasters but it was Climpson & Sons on the hopper when i visited. I wonder if Climpson roasts slightly darker than Square Mile, but still a very decent cup:
Just across the way, Prufrock Coffee (facebook. 23 – 25 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TE). Standout coffee. Square Mile Coffee Roaster beans, Kees Van Der Westen. Appreciated the opportunity to geek chat about brewing parameters – had been trying to troubleshoot for some time. Also bit the bullet and indulged in a Hario kettle:
The Square Mile
Came upon Curators’ Coffee Studio on Cullum Street in The Square Mile, on the way back from the bank. The presence of a turquoise powder-coated three-group La Marzocco Strada and three hoppers of beans aroused enough interest for me to part with some change for a most interesting flat white from Square Mile Coffee Roaster’s Jirmiwachu Natural – like a strawberry coffeeshake.
The Liberty of Norton Folgate (facebook. Norton Folgate, Bishopsgate) – 50% Brazil Pulped Natural Finca Paraiso, 50% Ethiopia Sidamo Oromia Co-op:
Beany Green Gourmet Coffee (cart at the base of The Gherkin):
Elsewhere
The Black Lab (18 Clapham Common Southside, Clapham). Climpson & Sons beans – when I visited, they were still serving the Summer Espresso 2012 (20% Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Oromia Co-operative, 20% Sumatra Wahana Estate Natural, 20% Columbia Racafe Medellin Region, 20% Columbia Somondoco Boyaca Deparment, 20% Dominican Republic Cibao Altura Crilo Estate). Served at 62 degrees celcius:
Everbean (facebook. 30 Avery Row, Mayfair) – Climpson & Sons, La Marzocco:
Flat Cap (by Notes Coffee. Borough Market) – Square Mile’s Red Brick Espresso (in this expression, 30% El Cascajal (Guatemala), 30% El Majahual (El Salvador), 30% Sertao (Brazil), 10% Kagumoini (Kenya)). Delicious with well-frothed milk:
Notes, Music and Coffee (31 Saint Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4ER) – nipped in here during the intermission at the London Coliseum next door. Requested Square Mile’s Sweetshop Espresso in my flat white. The barista was kind enough to calibrate this for a fantastic cup just bursting with fruit (in this incarnation, 50% Kiawamururu (Kenya), 50% Suke Quto (Ethiopia). Really made me smile:
Grind Coffee Bar (5C The Great Eastern Market, Westfield Shopping Centre, Stratford City, E20 1EH) – London Coffee Roasters (the baristas couldn’t remember what was in the blend). La Marzocco Strada MP with 3M Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration. Good coffee in a megamall:
Coffee And Cake Saturday
After…yes, another farewell lunch, we headed to Tiong Bahru Bakery‘s second outlet – in Basement 1 of Raffles City, where we managed to have rather good chats about life and ministry amid the occasional seat-vibrating rumbles.
TBB Raffles City is located just opposite Ding Tai Fung, in a place once verdant with Aerin’s plastic greenery. The chocolate croissant, blood orange tart, mixed berry panna cotta were rather good. We were amused that even the hot chocolate came with “latte art”, but having just experienced the prompt, polite service at DTF, were slightly perturbed at the waitstaff at TBB moving aimlessly about, getting in the way of people struggling with laden trays.
Then, read the last chapter of Matthias Media’s Back To Basics with someone to ensure she really understood what the Christian life was like before making a public declaration of her faith through baptism. After, because it would be otherwise impossible to meet up with friends on account of the lean staffing at their new venture, headed to Papa Palheta‘s fresh flagship store, Chye Seng Huat Hardware (facebook, 150 Tyrwhitt Road). Consolidated within the compound was The CSHH Coffee Bar, the Annex for experimental coffee stuff, the temperature-controlled bean storage, the roastery and packing facilities, and the machine repair workshop. The Bar was quite the looker.
In order to reference the original use of the space (and the continued use of the name of the previous occupant of the space), the interior design featured metal beam light fittings, metal rod shelves, nuts as napkin weights. The coffee island bar top was constructed from painted metal as well.
The Nuts and Bolts blend (Brazilian, Columbian, Tanzanian, Guatemalan) was indeed brighter, more acidic and juicy than the usual Terra Firma. Nicely done. Their in-house baker (the pastry kitchen is on the second level) is apparently the same person who did the desserts at the much-missed Peaberry & Pretzel, formerly at Sunset Way. The brownie, that barometer of a good pastry chef, was simply but well made – crackle crust with rich smooth moist interior.
They did a little tour of the place starting with The Annex (somewhat like The Steeping Room) for experiments, tastings, food pairings.
The coffee bean storage area, the roastery, and the packing area.
Behind a rather heavy metal sliding door, up the stairs to the second level, C-Platform – the coffee school with equipment and charts.
The top level will hold Papa Palheta’s offices. For now, simple desks and chairs sit in the emptiness, lit by dusty streams of sunlight.
The soundscape featured light jazz from an old turntable and the clanging of the automated prayer bell in the temple diagonally across the road.
The fading evening light brought out nice colours in the interior but i had to leggit to say more goodbyes over cream of spinach, a large leg of ham, yuzu goma-tossed salad. A good conversation about church – belonging, serving, growing; validity of spending time in two congregations.
The Ponderous Pilgrim 