After 4 days in Northern Ireland, Sandy and I hopped on board a plane at Belfast Inter- national Airport and made our way back over to England to see our friends, the Eckers, again. The following day--Sunday--I preached at one of the two inner city London churches where Lewis serves as Associate Pastor. The small congregation was a diverse group, with members from Jamaica, Africa and (of course) the United Kingdom. It was a joy to worship together with these dear brothers and sisters in Christ. (This was the second time I had preached in London, having previously done so in 2006.) 
During our time in London, Sandy and I also enjoyed some sightseeing, taking in a few stops we had missed on our 2006 vacation itinerary. We visited the historic Tower of London and saw the famous Crown Jewels. Our guided tour was led by one of the uniformed Yeoman Warders (AKA "Beefeaters") who serve as the ceremonial 
guardians of the Tower. Their history dates back to 1485 when they originally worked as prison guards. Presently, there are 35 Yeoman Warders, plus a Chief Warder. We also got to meet and visit with Moira Cameron, who made history in 2007 as the very first (and still only) female Yeoman Warder in the group's 525 year history! 
Another highlight of our trip was touring the British Parliament while it was out of session and open to the public. Most notably, I enjoyed visiting the House of Commons chamber which I've seen so many times on television. This often lively room is truly the center of action for the British government. I also found it quite surreal when we got to stand in the very spot where Prime Ministers such as Churchill, Thatcher, Blair and others have stood throughout the years as they debated policy and discussed world affairs. And now to think that our friend Jim Shannon from Northern Ireland serves in this historic deliberative body. This experience was truly a treat.
We also took in the world-renowned British Museum, which is filled with numerous antiquities from around the globe. The sheer volume of material representing ancient cultures is staggering. Rather than trying to cover everything, we selectively zeroed in on a few key preferences. The one essential that everyone absolutely has to see is the iconic Rosetta Stone, which provided the modern world with the 
key to understanding ancient Egytian hieroglyphic writing. I personally was enamored with the numerous Egyptian mummies and related artifacts on display. Did you know that the ancient Egyptians even mummified their pet cats? It's interesting to see the great lengths to which people have gone throughout the centuries in an effort to attain immortality and secure a place in eternity. 
The various marble carvings from the ancient Parthenon in Athens, Greece were also quite intriguing. As I walked among these statues and carvings, it was fascinating to realize that the Apostle Paul probably viewed these very works of art when he first entered the city of Athens some 2000 years ago. (See Acts 17:16ff.) Viewing these surviving icons from ancient civilizations made me think of the closing line of that classic poem about Jesus entitled One Solitary Life: "All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life." I also was reminded that phrase from the old Bill Gaither song that says "kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there's something about that Name." Indeed, countless kings and kingdoms have come and gone through the eons of time, but Jesus still reigns. In fact, He is "the same yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
Sandy and I enjoyed our time in London. But during our stay we were again reminded of the sad reality that Europe is very much a post-Christian culture. For many persons "across the pond", the things of Christ are simply the relics of an outmoded and irrelevant past. There is a faithful remnant of believers in Britain, but that remnant is very much in the minority. God is still at work, but secular humanism is rampant and widespread. Sadly, I think many of us see America moving in this same direction. While Sandy and I were at Keswick, one speaker, equating Christianity to marriage, memorably noted that Latin America and Africa are presently in the Honeymoon Stage...while North America has "settled in" at the 25th Anniversary Stage...but, tragically, Europe is very much in the Divorce Stage. Let's pray that, by the grace of God, Europe can miraculously reverse this trend, and that we in the United States can somehow stem the tide and avoid going down the same treacherous path. Pastor Danny
