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Beechwood Court, Conwy, North Wales This was our second visit to Beechwood Court and since our last they have redecorated the rooms, put in more en suites and new beds in some rooms. Thus the accommodation was much improved; sadly the weather wasn’t. In 2006 North Wales had a mini-heat wave and we had the best weather we have ever had there. This year there was constant cloud. It rained most mornings, but that did not bother us as we were having our studies. In the afternoons it cleared a little which allowed people to participate in a wide variety of activities. Afternoon activities
Others undertook less strenuous activities visiting such place at the ornate village of Port Merion which, with its Italian facade, featured in the TV series The Prisoner. There was, of course, Conwy Castle and a walk around its mediaeval walls. The beautiful Bodnant Gardens were nearby and the hydrangeas were at their best. Some visited the picturesque village of Betws-y-Coed, either driving there or taking the pleasant train trip which runs beside the Conwy River, one of the fastest flowing rivers in Britain. Then there were the coffee and tea shops with their Welsh Cakes and Bara Brith. Morning Meetings Each day started with a short prayer meeting followed by breakfast, after which we had a half-hour study on Galatians 5:19-23. In the first study Michael Penny quickly discussed The Acts of the Sinful Nature which enables us to put The Fruit of the Spirit in context. The next day David Groves looked at love, on Tuesday Susan Horobin considered joy and peace. On Wednesday Sylvia Penny taught us about patience and kindness, and the next day Ruth Lloyd talked of God’s goodness and Brian Lloyd God’s faithfulness. Finally on Friday Lorraine Low concluded our practical series explaining and exhorting us to gentleness and self control. These short studies on the importance of “being in step with the Spirit” , together with our pre-breakfast prayer time, set us up nicely for the day. Following a coffee break we then had a deeper, more theological study, given by Michael Penny. On the first four days he considered how to set up A systematic approach to prophecy. He focused very much on the basis laid down by Miles Coverdale, which Coverdale published in the preface to his Bible - which, incidentally, was the first translation into English of the whole Bible. Michael Penny explains the importance of Coverdale’s principles of interpretation in his book Approaching the Bible which is available from www.obt.org However, when it comes to prophecy it is exceptionally important to pay attention to:
He hilighted some of the inconsistencies in some teaching on prophecy where, for example, Israel is replaced by the church, where the whole earth is substituted for the land of Israel, and where events which follow Christ’s return are said to occur beforehand. In the last two studies he looked at the miracles of healing and speaking in tongues, and sought to find what these signified to the Jews of New Testament times. John does not call the mighty works that Christ did simply ‘miracles, but ‘miraculous signs’ and the ones He did showed He was the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:30-31). And Paul wrote that speaking in tongues was a sign for unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22). What did that mean? And how did these miraculous signs show that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God? You can find the answers to these questions, and others, in the book The Miracles of the Apostles and also on the DVD The Meaning of Miracle, both available from www.obt.org.uk There were some good discussions following the studies on The Fruit of the Spirit and also the studies on prophecy and the miracles. We generally finished and were ready to leave for a relaxed afternoon by 12.30. Evening Activities We were back by 6.00 p.m. for the evening meal which was followed by an evening activity. On the Saturday this was a relaxing evening of puzzles and fun. On Sunday we watched a DVD on the life of Martin Luther and on Monday evening we had an open discussion on the DVD, Martin Luther and the Reformation. On Tuesday we discussed an assortment of Biblical and Theological questions such as:
On Wednesday evening we had a Bible quiz where the men battled it out against the women! And on Thursday we had an open discussion dealing with some of the current moral issues, especially relating to medical ethics. We started off asking whether or not the Bible taught that suicide was a sin, and then came on to the issue of assisted suicide. We discussed the difference between Swiss Law, which permits assisted suicide, and British law which states it is illegal but which leaves it to the Director of Public Prosecution to decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to prosecute. We also discussed the use of embryos in stem-cell research and whether or not only adult stem-cells or those from the umbilical cord should be used. On Friday evening we saw a wide range of talent as people shared songs and stories, played the On Saturday morning, following the prayer meeting at which we thanked God for the joy we had experienced this week, we enjoyed breakfast and then departed ..... and many had a tear in their eye.
A Tudor building seen from the ancient walls of the city of Chester.
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2010 Family Holiday 
These included walks up the Conwy Mountain, along the estuary to Llandudno, up to Ffynnon Llugwy Reservoir and along the Watkin Path part way up Snowdon. This famous path was taken in 1895 by Gladstone when he was 83. There is a stone plague set in a rock to commemorate this feat and at this point he addressed a political rally of some 2,000 people.
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